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Salvia oppositiflora

Salvia oppositiflora
Photo: Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada, CC BY 2.0

Salvia oppositiflora is a perennial Andean sage from high-elevation Peru, grown for its orange-red tubular flowers borne in opposite pairs. It needs well-drained soil and a sunny, sheltered spot, since it is not frost hardy.

Family
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water when the top few centimetres of soil are dry, and avoid soggy roots.
Soil
Free-draining loam or sandy mix, not heavy clay.
Temperature
10–25 °C; protect below 0 °C
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Peru
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Salvia oppositiflora is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Peru, growing at high elevations—7,000 to 12,000 feet. It was collected in 1798 by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez and later described in Flora of Peru.

Salvia oppositiflora reaches 2–3 feet in height and width, with a floppy habit. The mid-green leaves are ovate, nearly triangular, reaching up to 1.5 inches long and wide, smooth or lightly covered with hairs, and with serrated edges. The 1 inch flowers are orange-red, appearing tube-like, with reddish stamens protruding from the lower lip. The inflorescences are short, with flowers growing in opposite pairs, giving the plant its name. The lime-green calyces, and the plant's stems, are covered with short hairs and glands.

Other Salvia plants

Turkish Black Sage · Wuyi Mountain Sage · Salvia adoxoides · Egyptian Sage · Orange Sage · Mediterranean sage · African Blue Sage · Salvia alatipetiolata · Cederberg Sage · Handsome Sage · Algerian Sage · Salvia amethystina

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvia oppositiflora by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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