Native Plant Database

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Marcus, Joseph A. (Austin, TX)

Salvia coccinea P.J. Buchoz ex Etlinger

Scarlet Sage, Tropical Sage, Blood sage

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

USDA Symbol: saco5

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Several whorls of red flowers form an interrupted spike on a square stem.

This showy southern native is characterized by the loose, widely spaced nature of the flowering spike. It is found in the hot sands of the South. The flamboyant, cultivated member of this group, Scarlet Sage (S. splendens), was introduced from Brazil.

 

From the Image Gallery

View herbarium specimen from Harry T. Cliffe Bexar Regional Herbarium.

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual , Perennial
Habit: Herb
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Red , Pink
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , FL , GA , HI , LA , MS , OH , SC , TX
Native Distribution: Coastal; South Carolina to Florida; west to Texas.
Native Habitat: In sandy soils in thickets, chaparral, in open woods and edges in east and south Texas.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I), PR(N), VI(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
Soil Description: Caliche type, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay
Conditions Comments: Scarlet sage reseeds easily and will grow in the shade. It has pungent foliage that makes it fairly deer resistant. Periodically trim and deadhead to keep it bushy.
Texas comments: Scarlet sage has pungent foliage that makes it fairly deer resistant. It reseeds easily and will grow in the shade. It should be periodically trimmed and deadheaded to keep it bushy and in bloom.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Easily grown, Blooms ornamental, Color, Perennial garden
Use Wildlife: Nectar-Hummingbirds, Nectar-Bees, Nectar-insects
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Attracts: Hummingbirds , Butterflies
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Commercially Avail: yes
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PlantWise: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Salvia coccinea (Blood sage) is a PlantWise native alternative for:

   Lantana camara (lantana)

Find Seed or Plants

Order seed of this species from Native American Seed and help support the Wildflower Center.

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: Hello, I am a chef from Buenos Aires Argentina visiting Austin, Texas and would like to learn about native, edible plants in the region. Please let me know if there are any native, edible plants and if they grow wild, I can harvest them myself, or if there is a place I can purchase them. thanks, salud!!
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Question: A search for Salvia coccinea in the database resulted in some of the pictures showing frostweed crystals ('am assuming that is an error), as well as some white and bicolor pastel pink & white blooms. Can S. coccinea have that much variation in color?
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Question: Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I moved to TX last year, for now living in an apartment with a good-size but shady deck; my garden in VA was full of VA native plants. What TX natives, if any, can I grow in containers on a shady deck? Besides prickly pear: already have babies growing from three fallen pads that I potted. Thank you.
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Question: I recently bought a house in a new subdivision just south of Houston - as with most new developments, the area is devoid of nature for the most part... I have planted many bird/butterfly/bee friendly plants in the backyard and instead of having a traditional lawn, I would like to create a meadow. I have been looking at the Wildflower Center's selection of native seeds, but I'm not sure where to start. Can you help me choose some native grasses and wildflowers that might do well in the wet clay soil? I am a big fan of insects and birds and want to make my yard into a refuge for them. Thank you for your help!
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Question: I live in San Antonio. I'm faced with a dilemma. I've got mature native pecans. In the summer they provide beautiful full shade. However, in the winter and even into the late spring, my yard is in full blazing sun. Since pecans leaf out so much later than all other trees, this full blazing sun lasts into the late spring. This is a real dilemma for shade loving plants. However, the summer shade presents a problem for sun loving plants. The problem is worse in the spring, when it is getting hot What can I plant that will bloom at least in early spring, or at a time before my pecans leaf out. This year, I planted Hinkley's Columbine, but it ended up rotting. I don't think it is well adapted to San Antonio. The appearance of the sun loving plants under the shade doesn't bother me. It is the shade loving plants under the blazing sun that suffer. I was thinking of possibly Salvia coccinia? It seems like it blooms as soon as the the last frost. I've also considered Pavonia. (Although some of these plants may not bloom in the summer shade, I don't think it will "hurt" the plant to be in summer shade.) Are there any other spring blooming plants that do well in sun, but can tolerate summer shade?
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From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Native Plant Nursery - Sanibel, FL

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX
* Available Online from Wildflower Center Store

Bibliography

Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
* Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Shinners & Mahler's Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas (1999) Diggs, G. M.; B. L. Lipscomb; B. O'Kennon; W. F...
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
* Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.
* Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Salvia coccinea in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Salvia coccinea in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Salvia coccinea

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-04-19
Research By: TWC Staff, LAL

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