Salvia coulteri is a perennial shrub that grows on dry rocky mountainsides in five Mexican states: Nuevo Leon

Nuevo León

Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...

, Zacatecas

Zacatecas

Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....

, Tamaulipas

Tamaulipas

Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...

, Durango

Durango

Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...

, and Hidalgo. It was introduced to horticulture in 1991 from a plant collected at 4000 ft in Nuevo Leon.

It grows about 2.5 ft tall and 3 ft wide, with many stems and a graceful appearance. The small (.5 in) electric lavender-blue flowers grow in tight whorls and bloom profusely. Even though it flowers are in whorls, the calyces are all on one side, causing the flowers to sweep to one side. The calyces persist long after the flowers drop, and have a mint-like fragrance when rubbed.