Salvia atrorubra C. Y. Wu

Close to Salvia castanea, but with reddish corollas and subtruncate, scarcely 2-lipped calyces.

Plants perennial. Stems erect, to 55 cm, floccose-villous. Petiole 10(-12) cm; leaf blade ovate, (5-)6-10.5 × (3-)4-8 cm, ± membranous, densely brownish or brown floccose-tomentose-villous when young, adaxially sparsely villous, abaxially villous especially along veins, sparsely yellowish glandular with age, base cordate to hastate, margin irregularly crenate to shallowly obtuse serrate, apex acute. Inflorescences densely pubescent, villous; verticillasters 2-4-flowered, in axillary racemes ca. 10 cm and terminal ones 10-12 cm, interrupted toward base, ± continuous toward apex; peduncle to 5 cm; lower bracts leaflike, margin dentate; upper bracts subcircular to broadly ovate, 1-1.5 × 0.6-1.2 cm, margin entire. Pedicel 3-4 mm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 1.8 cm, subtruncate or obscurely 2-lipped, veins slightly villous; upper lip truncate; lower lip longer, ca. 2 mm; teeth triangular, apex acute, mucronate. Corolla red, ca. 3.5 cm, villous, adaxially constricted just below hairy annulus, adaxially dilated, slightly curved upward beyond middle, slightly constricted, ca. 1.1 cm wide at throat; upper lip subcircular, ca. 1 cm in diam.; lower lip ± semicircular, ca. 1.7 cm wide; middle lobe subobcordate, ca. 7 mm wide. Filaments ca. 8 mm, slightly curved; connectives ca. 8 mm. Style exserted. Nutlets unknown. Fl. Jun.

Yunnan

* Forests; ca. 2700 m.

Salvia atrorubra is a perennial plant that is native to Yunnan province in China, found growing in forests at 2,700 m (8,900 ft) elevation. S. atrorubra grows on erect stems to 55 cm (22 in) tall, with ovate leaves that are typically 6 to 10.5 cm (2.4 to 4.1 in) long and 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) wide, sometimes slightly smaller.

Inflorescences are 2-flowered verticillasters in axillary and terminal racemes. The plant has a red corolla that is 3.5 cm (1.4 in).