Salvia omeiana E. Peter

Plants perennial. Stems erect, 40-100 cm, robust, to 6 mm in diam. at base, striate, puberulent or subglabrous. Stem leaf blades broadly cordate-ovate to hastate-ovate, 10-16 × 6.5-14.5 cm, adaxially sparsely fine strigose, abaxially purple, sparsely puberulent along veins, sparsely yellowish glandular, base cordate to subhastate, margin double crenate or dentate, apex acuminate or caudate-acuminate. Verticillasters 2(-6)-flowered, widely spaced, in raceme-panicles; rachis glandular pubescent or subglabrous; bracts lanceolate to broadly ovate, 5-8(-10) × 1.5-3 mm. Pedicel ca. 2 mm, glandular pubescent or subglabrous. Calyx narrow campanulate, 1-1.5 cm, glandular pilose on veins, sparsely yellowish glandular; upper lip subtruncate, entire, apical mucro 1-2 mm; lower lip longer than upper, teeth triangular, apex acuminate; fruiting calyx dilated, ca. 1.3 cm wide at mouth. Corolla yellow, 2.5-3.5 cm, puberulent outside; tube gradually dilated adaxially at apex, curved upward from base, ca. 2-3.5 cm; upper lip broadly ovate, 7-8 × ca. 3.5 mm; lower lip longer than upper, middle lobe obcordate, ca. 4 × 6 mm; lateral lobes ca. 3 mm wide. Filaments ca. 6 mm; connectives arcuate, ca. 6 mm, arms subequal. Style exserted. Nutlets obovoid, ca. 3 mm in diam., brown. Fl. Jul-Sep.

Sichuan

* Forest margins, hillsides; 1400-3100 m.

Salvia omeiana is a perennial plant that is native to forest edges and hillsides in Sichuan province in China, growing at 1,400 to 3,100 m (4,600 to 10,200 ft) elevation. It is a robust erect-growing plant reaching .4 to 1 m (1.3 to 3.3 ft), with broad cordate-ovate to hastate-ovate leaves that are 10 to 16 cm (3.9 to 6.3 in) long and 6.5 to 14.5 cm (2.6 to 5.7 in) wide. Inflorescences are raceme-panicles, with a 2.5 to 3.5 cm (0.98 to 1.38 in) yellow corolla.

There are two varieties: Salvia omeiana var. omeiana has an ovate shaped bract, and no hairs inside the corolla tube. Salvia omeiana var. grandibracteata has a more lanceolate bract, and is slightly hairy inside the corolla tube.