Herbaceous perennial herb with flower spikes to 1 m tall. Leaves ovate or lyrate, to about 25 cm long, 20 cm wide but often much less, toothed, hairy, sometimes the teeth rounded, cordate, long-stalked. Flowers in verticillasters dispersed along the stem, each of 4-10 flowers. Corolla to 3 cm long, violet-blue, spotted white and with a sickle-shaped hood; summer.
W Asia to SE Europe
The specific epithet is spelt in various ways, including forskaohlei, forskohlei, and forskaolhai. The epithet commemorates the botanist whose name is now generally spelt Pehr Forsskål, the spelling being adjusted to Forsskaol when the diacritic is removed.
Source: (2002). Salvia. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
