Salvia scapiformis Hance

Plants herbaceous. Stems slender, 20-26 cm, sparsely appressed puberulent or subglabrous. Leaves basal or subbasal, rarely on stem, mostly simple, sometimes 2- or 3-foliolate; petiole 2.5-9 cm; leaf blade cordate-ovate, 2-4.3 × 1.3-3.6 cm, abaxially violet, glabrous, pubescent on veins, base cordate, margin undulate-crenate; terminal leaflets larger than lateral. Inflorescences puberulent; verticillasters 6-10-flowered, widely spaced, in terminal racemes or panicles 10-20 cm; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 2-5 mm. Pedicel ca. 1.5 mm. Calyx green, tubular, ca. 4.5 mm, abaxially tinged red when dry, subglabrous, sparsely yellowish glandular; upper lip semicircular-triangular, margin entire, apex mucronate; lower lip shallowly 2-toothed, teeth triangular. Corolla purple or white, ca. 7 mm, pubescent; tube finely pilose annulate inside, slightly exserted, ca. 0.8 mm wide, slightly dilated at throat; upper lip straight, lower lip longer. Stamens exserted; filaments ca. 1 mm; connectives 2-4 mm, upper arms ca. 1.5 mm, lower arms ca. 0.9 mm, without apical anther cells, separate. Nutlets brown, narrowly ovoid, ca. 1.3 mm, apex acute. Fl. Apr-May.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Philippines]

Hilltops, valleys, streamsides, waste areas, forests; 100-1200 m.

Salvia scapiformis is an herb that is native to several provinces in China, along with Taiwan and the Philippines, growing at 100 to 1,200 m (330 to 3,940 ft) elevation. S. scapiformis grows on slender stems to 20 to 26 cm (7.9 to 10.2 in) tall, with mostly simple leaves that are basal or subbasal, rarely growing on the stem. Inflorescences are widely spaced 6–10-flowered verticillasters in terminal racemes or panicles that are 10 to 20 cm (3.9 to 7.9 in) long. The corolla is purple or white, approximately 7 mm (0.28 in).

There are three named varieties, with slight variations in leaves, verticillasters, and calyx:

S. scapiformis var. scapiformis S. carphocalyx var. pteridifolia S. nanchuanensis var. hirsuta