Salvia elegans, a species with several varieties including pineapple sage and tangerine sage,[ Epic Gardening: Salvia Elegans] is a perennial shrub native to Mexico.
Description
Salvia elegans Pineapple Sage has tubular red flowers and an attractive scent to the leaves that is similar to
pineapple. It produces numerous erect leafy stems up to and flowers in the late autumn.
[ / Monty Don: Sage concern] It is a
short-day plant. The flowering season in Mexico is August onward; further north it may not flower till later autumn, and if there is no frost, it may flower until spring.
The variety "Honey Melon", which has the same pineapple fragrance in the leaves, blooms early in the summer, rather than in autumn.
Salvia elegans Tangerine Sage grows to about tall, has bronze edged leaves and a citrus scent. It is summer flowering.[ / Langthorn's Plantery: Salvia Elegans Tangerine]
Phytochemistry
The essential oil of
S. elegans consists primarily of
caffeic acid and its derivatives, such as
rosmarinic acid and
salvianolic acid, and
flavones.
Distribution and habitat
Native to Mexico, the shrub inhabits Madrean and Mesoamerican pine–oak forests between .
Ecology
The red flowers are attractive to
and butterflies. In a highland temperate forest in central Mexico, pineapple sage was found to be one of the three most-visited species by hummingbirds.
Cultivation
Pineapple sage was introduced into horticulture about 1870.
In cultivation, it typically reaches a height of , with its roots spreading underground to form a large clump. The pale yellow-green leaves are veined and covered with fine hairs. Six to twelve scarlet flowers grow in whorls, featuring a long inflorescence that blooms gradually and lasts for an extended period. With a
hard frost, the plant will die down to the ground and grow back the following spring.
Uses
The leaves and flowers are edible.
The plant is used in Mexican traditional medicine, especially for anxiety and hypertension.
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