Salvia sprucei
Encyclopedia
Salvia sprucei is a herbaceous perennial in the Lamiaceae
family that is native to Ecuador
, growing at 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) elevation or higher in thick scrub on steep slopes. It was named in 1898 by botanist John Isaac Briquet
for the British plant collector Richard Spruce
. It is likely that Spruce discovered the plant on a collecting trip in Ecuador in 1857.
Salvia sprucei is a many-branched plant that reaches up to 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. The leaves are ovate and vary in size, growing up to 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long and 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide. The top of the leaf is green with a yellow undertone, while the underside has white veining that is covered with hairs. The watermelon pink flowers are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long, with the upper lip hooded and covered in fine hairs. The calyces are yellow-green and quite long, reaching 0.75 inches (1.9 cm). The loosely held whorls of flowers grow on branched inflorescences.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
family that is native to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, growing at 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) elevation or higher in thick scrub on steep slopes. It was named in 1898 by botanist John Isaac Briquet
John Isaac Briquet
John Isaac Briquet was a Swiss plant collector.-References:...
for the British plant collector Richard Spruce
Richard Spruce
Richard Spruce was an English botanist. One of the great Victorian botanical explorers, Spruce spent approximately 15 years exploring the Amazon from the Andes to the mouth, and was one of the first Europeans to visit many of the places where he collected specimens.The plants and objects collected...
. It is likely that Spruce discovered the plant on a collecting trip in Ecuador in 1857.
Salvia sprucei is a many-branched plant that reaches up to 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. The leaves are ovate and vary in size, growing up to 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long and 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide. The top of the leaf is green with a yellow undertone, while the underside has white veining that is covered with hairs. The watermelon pink flowers are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long, with the upper lip hooded and covered in fine hairs. The calyces are yellow-green and quite long, reaching 0.75 inches (1.9 cm). The loosely held whorls of flowers grow on branched inflorescences.