Colors

Data mode

Account

Login
Sign up

Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Key to Salvia

Copy permalink to share

1 Leaves predominantly basal.
..2 Veins of the 3 upper calyx lobes parallel, the lobes themselves minute and widely-spaced (> 1 mm between the 2 lateral teeth), separated by flattish sinuses; basal leaves lobed; [native, though weedy, common throughout our area]
..2 Veins of the 3 upper calyx lobes converging, the lobes themselves minute and spaced within a distance of 1 mm; basal leaves lobed or toothed; cauline leaves toothed (rarely lobed); [exotic weeds, rarely naturalized in our area].
....3 Upper corolla-lip strongly arched; leaves serrate
....3 Upper corolla-lip straight; leaves lobed
1 Leaves predominantly cauline, not lobed.
......4 Leaves rhombic-ovate, the base cordate, subcordate, truncate, or broadly cuneate.
........5 Petiole not clearly differentiated from the leaf blade (leaf tissue decurrent on the petiole for most or all its length); corolla blue
..........6 Leaves with cuneate bases extending into a winged petiole; plants typically with both terminal and axillary inflorescences; corolla 7-12 mm long; flowering Aug-Oct
..........6 Leaves with abruptly truncate bases into a winged petiole; plants typically with a single terminal inflorescence; corolla 10-17 mm long; flowering Apr-May
........5 Petiole clearly differentiated from the leaf blade; corolla blue, white, or scarlet.
............ 7 Corolla scarlet; larger leaves 3-6.5 cm long
............ 7 Corolla blue or whitish; leaves 5-20 cm long
............ ..8 Upper calyx lip > ½× as long as the calyx tube; flowers 4-12 per node; leaves (8-) 12-20 cm long
............ ..8 Upper calyx lip < 1/3× as long as the calyx tube; flowers 12-30 per node; leaves 5-10 cm long
......4 Leaves lanceolate, linear, or narrowly elliptic, the base cuneate to attenuate.
............ ....9 Shrub, distinctly woody; leaves linear, strongly revolute
............ ....9 Herb, not woody; leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, not revolute
............ ......10 Leaves canescent, gray; [introduced, rarely persistent from cultivation in gardens]
............ ......10 Leaves puberulent, green; [native, of dry woodlands from sc. NC southward and westward].
............ ........11 Flowers 2 (-4) per node; corolla 8-12 mm long; annual
............ ........11 Flowers 6-10 flowers per node; corolla > 13 mm long; perennial
............ ..........12 Stem usually with sparse, antrorse or somewhat spreading pubescence; calyx with antrorse hairs limited to major veins; flowers of mature inflorescences spaced out, most internodes elongate and ranging up to 25 (-34) mm; [Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and adjacent piedmont, from south-central NC to central FL to southeast LA]
............ ..........12 Stem usually with dense, retrorse pubescence; calyx with dense antrorse pubescence; flowers of mature inflorescences densely arranged, internodes between flowers very short, only the lowermost 1-3 internodes elongate and ranging up to 12 (-17) mm; [inland and prairie sites, ranging from IL, IA, NE, and e. CO south to nw. GA, n. AL, ne. MS, LA, and se. and c. TX]
Cite as...