Perennial woody shrub to 3 m tall. Leaves ovate, mostly 14-18 cm long, rough, pointed, aromatic; margin cut; long-stalked. Flowers in 20 cm-long spikes, each verticillaster of 7-9 flowers. Calyx usually green, sometimes dark-coloured. Corolla to 5.5 cm long, tubular, vivid orange-red; mostly winter.
This plant is sometimes confused with S. fulgens Cav. but it has smaller, wrinkled leaves. Both plants are available.
Mexico, Colombia
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.
Salvia gesneriiflora 'Tequila'
Corolla red, calyx dark purple, flowering almost all year round.
