Salvia roemeriana is a herbaceous perennial shrub native to the Edwards Plateau

Edwards Plateau

The Edwards Plateau is a region of west-central Texas which is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area...

 in Texas, along with parts of Arizona, and several provinces in Mexico. The epithet honors German geologist Ferdinand von Roemer

Ferdinand von Roemer

Carl Ferdinand von Roemer , German geologist, had originally been educated for the legal profession at Göttingen, but became interested in geology, and abandoning law in 1840, studied science at the University of Berlin, where he graduated Ph.D...

, who lived in Texas from 1845 to 1847 and became known as the "father of Texas geology". The common name refers to the cedar brakes where it commonly grows. It also grows in oak woodlands and rock outcroppings. It was introduced into horticulture in 1852, and was a favorite of renowned garden writer William Robinson

William Robinson (gardener)

William Robinson was an Irish practical gardener and journalist whose ideas about wild gardening spurred the movement that evolved into the English cottage garden, a parallel to the search for honest simplicity and vernacular style of the British Arts and Crafts movement...

for its neatness as an edging plant and in front of borders.

Description

Cedar sage grows up to 1 ft in height and width, quickly establishing itself and growing into colonies through prolific reseeding. The leaves are a grassy green color, with the plant dying back to the ground in winter. The abundant flowers are bright scarlet, growing in loose whorls above the plant, on 8-10 in stalks, with each plant having many inflorescences.