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Big Red Sage

Salvia penstemonoides

Other common name(s):

Penstemon Sage

Family:

Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Edwards Plateau
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

3
to
6
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Red, Purple

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Bees

Maintenance

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Plants may repeat bloom from summer to fall, but need regular moisture to encourage this. Plant rosettes are evergreen to semi-evergreen in southern locations. Leave bloom stalks until February for winter interest leaving basal rosette. Propagation: Seed. Clump division.

Comments

Blooms June-October. Once thought to be extinct, Big Red Sage was rediscovered in the 1980s and has become an established garden plant in Texas. Noted for its long summer bloom of tube-shaped, 2-lipped, dark rose-red to burgundy-red flowers that bloom in spikes at the ends of stiff stems. Attracts many hummingbirds. Its glossy foliage has a pleasant smell – rubbing against the leaves releases a scent similar to lemon-lime. Leaves form a rosette in the winter.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Salvia pentstemonoides

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAPE15. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=13681&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=504997#null, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014., 7) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281515&isprofile=0&

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