Salvia heterochroa E. Peter

Plants perennial. Stems 1 (or 2), striate, black-brown, densely brownish pilose apically, glabrescent basally. Petiole 1-22 cm; leaf blade elliptic-ovate, 4-13 × 2.5-10 cm, papery, adaxially glabrous, abaxially yellow-brown on veins when dry, gray cobwebby-tomentose, minutely glandular, base shallowly cordate to subtruncate, margin coarsely double crenate, apex obtuse to rounded. Inflorescences densely brownish silky-villous, glandular pilose; verticillasters 2-6-flowered, widely spaced, in raceme-panicles; bracts leaflike basally, gradually reduced apically, margin crenate, longer than calyx, upper bracts entire. Pedicel 3-6 mm. Calyx campanulate, 1-1.5 cm, glandular pilose, 2-lipped to ca. 1/3 its length; upper lip broadly triangular-ovate, margin entire, apex acute or 3-mucronate; lower teeth ovate-triangular, apex acute. Corolla blue-purple or dark purple, 2.5-3 cm; tube slightly zigzag, projected, adaxially abruptly dilated, curved upward, white cobwebby-pilose, pilose annulate inside; upper lip broadly ovate, ca. 9 mm, glandular pilose; lower lip slightly longer than upper, middle lobe obcordate-orbicular, ca. 1 × 2 cm, glabrous; lateral lobes obovate. Filaments ca. 3 mm; connectives curved, ca. 5 mm, arms equal. Style as long as corolla. Nutlets dark brown, globose-ovoid, ca. 4 mm. Fl. Sep.

Yunnan.

* Grassy slopes; 3500-3800 m.

Salvia heterochroa is a perennial plant that is native to Yunnan province in China, found growing on grassy slopes at 3,500 to 3,800 m (11,500 to 12,500 ft) elevation. S. heterochroa grows on one or two stems, with elliptic-ovate leaves that range in size from 4 to 13 cm (1.6 to 5.1 in) long and 2.5 to 10 cm (0.98 to 3.94 in) wide.

Inflorescences are 2-6 flowered widely spaced verticillasters in raceme-panicles. The plant has a dark purple or blue-purple corolla that is 2.5 to 3 cm (0.98 to 1.18 in).