Salvia leucantha (Maxican Bush, Mexican bush sage )

Botanical Information

FamilyLamiaceae
GenusSalvia
Speciesleucantha
CategoryPerennials
OriginAn evergreen shrubby perennial that is native to Central America and Mexico.

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone8a to 10b
USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canadian Hardiness Zone8
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness ZoneH5 - H2
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Temperature (°C)(-12.2) - 1.7
Temperature (°F)10 - 35
Height0.5 - 1.3 m
Spread0.5 - 2.0 m
Flowering PeriodAugust, September, October, November, December

Description and Growing Information

General DescriptionIt is a low-maintenance plant. Flowers attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
LandscapeCut Flowers; flower borders and beds; wall-side borders; container plants; wildlife gardens.
PropagationBy softwood cuttings in spring or semi-hardwood in late summer, also by simple layering or seed.
CultivationGrows outdoors in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or dappled shade in a frost-free border. Protect from excessive winter moisture.
PestsPowdery mildew, rust, stem rot, fungal leaf spots, whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites.
Notable SpecimensBok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, Florida, United States of America.
HabitatIt is a herbaceous perennial that is native to subtropical and tropical conifer forests in central and eastern Mexico.
Bark/Stem DescriptionIt grows up to 1.3 m high and 2 m wide, with numerous erect stems, often arching at their tips, and with long inflorescences.
Leaf DescriptionFoliage has a velvet-like texture.
Flower DescriptionProducing a very attractive late summer to frost bloom of showy bicolour flowers consisting of white corollas and longer-lasting funnel-form purple calyces. Flowers appear in dense, arching, terminal spikes (racemes to 25 cm long) that extend above the foliage. Flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Linear, lance-shaped, grey to green leaves (to 10 cm long) are borne in pairs on square stems.

Photographs