About Salvia pentstemonoides Kunth & C.D.Bouché
Salvia pentstemonoides typically grows on limestone rock along seeps or creeks. It can reach up to 5 feet tall, with square stems. It often produces long basal leaves in addition to opposite stem (cauline) leaves. Its leaves are mistletoe-green, lance-shaped, and grow in a basal rosette. Numerous flowering stalks emerge from this rosette, forming 8–12 inch long inflorescences that hold whorls of loosely arranged flowers. The flowers are 1 inch long and beetroot-purple, enclosed in a 0.5-inch red wine-colored calyx. The flowers of this species are edible, and brushing or rubbing the leaves releases a lemon-lime scent similar to Sprite or 7 Up. When grown in cultivation, Salvia pentstemonoides prefers fast-draining soil with added limestone or ground oyster shells. It grows best with morning sun and high shade, but it will also grow well in full sun in regions with high humidity. It also prefers deep weekly watering. This plant is hardy to approximately 20 °F (−7 °C). It is easily propagated from seed; propagation via cuttings is possible, and clumps can be divided if the process is done carefully. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
