Salvia verbenaca
L.Erect perennial herb to 70 cm high; branches with sparse to dense, short and long, simple hairs, usually becoming gland-tipped toward or within inflorescence. Leaves elliptic, ovate or oblong in outline, subentire to pinnatifid, 3–10 cm long, 1.5–8 cm wide, apex usually obtuse, base truncate to cordate, margin usually irregularly toothed; petiole 1–8 cm long, but sometimes absent from upper leaves. Inflorescence thryse-like, with 1–few pairs of lateral branches near base, nodes with 6–10 pseudowhorled flowers; bracts broadly ovoid, abruptly tapered, mostly shorter than calyces. Calyx 3.5–5 mm long (to 9 mm long in fruit), 13-veined, moderately to densely hairy, hairs short and long, spreading to subpatent, adaxial lip shortly 3-toothed; corolla blue-purple to lilac, 8–13 mm long.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, HSF, HNF, OtR, MonT, HFE.
A complex and very variable species. Two entities are recognizable in Victoria and are here treated as distinct, but in their countries of natural occurrence the extent of variation is reported by many authorities to make recognition of infra-specific taxa exceedingly difficult, if not futile.
Conn, B.J. (1999). Lamiaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 418–459. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
