Dig into Plants: Red Sage

Red Sage Other Common Names: Scarlet Sage, Tropical Sage, Blood Sage, Indian Fire Scientific Name: Salvia coccinea Alternate Non-Native Non-invasive Species: Woodland Sage (Salvia nemorosa) or Russian Sage (Salvia yangii or Perovskia atriplicifolia) Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) Native to Alabama: Yes
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Mary Kline Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do keep leaves year-round, so I am evergreen. Where it is cold, I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. In warmer climates, I complete my life cycle in one growing season, so I am annual. I can grow 1 - 2 feet high and 1 - 2 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Edith Bettinger Click on image to enlarge it

Ecological Benefits

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
Azure sage (Salvia azurea)	Pitcher Sage (Salvia azurea var. grandiflora)	Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata)

Maintenance Notes
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase. Periodically trim and deadhead to keep it bushy. Plants that get too tall or unsightly can be cut back for fresh growth and new blooms later in the season. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires average amount of water.
Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day) Part Sun/ Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day)	Average Watering	Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION				Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Joseph A. Marcus Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape: Ovate or Deltoid	Margin: Serrate	Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple


Description:
2-inch long, broadly triangular, hairy, medium green


FLOWER DESCRIPTION			Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Ray Mathews Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shape Chart (JPG)

Color: Bright scarlet red, pink, white	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Feb - Oct
Description:
Several whorls of red flowers form widely spaced flowering spike up to 10-inches long on a square stem; flowers are less than 1 inch long and two-lipped with smaller upper lip and larger lower lip



SEED DESCRIPTION		University of Wisconsin-Madison Master Gardener Program Division of Extension Click on image to enlarge it

Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Up to four tiny seeds at the bottom of each dried calyx

Plant spreads by:
Seeds Freely self-seed in warm winter climates

Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Alabama Plant Atlas		North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Missouri Botanical Garden		University of Wisconsin-Madison Master Gardener Program

Alabama Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Programs