Bajan Cape Sage
Salvia similis
Family: Lamiaceae
Evergreen shrub (if protected from frost) growing 3-4’ tall, even taller in protected locations (up to 6-7’ in the wild). Cobalt blue flowers almost any time of year (in warm weather). For years these plants were sold in the trade as Salvia pinguifolia, but this was an incorrect identification.
Grow in full to part sun, moderate water, hardiness untested but plants come back from from cold at least as low as 20°F. Best to protect plants from frost to keep them looking good.
Flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and many other nectar-seeking insects. Moth larval food plant for the Alfalfa Looper Moth (Autographa californica), Bilobed Looper Moth (Megalographa biloba), Virginian Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Wavy-Lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), the geometrid Pherne subpunctata, and the plume moth (Anstenoptilia marmarodactyla).
There are 1045 species of Salvia all over the world. The genus name, salvia, comes from the Latin word salvia, which is related to the Latin words salvus (safe, healthy, secure) and salvēre (to heal, to feel healthy). The name refers to the medicinal properties of some plants in the genus. The species, similis, means similar—we are not sure why it was given this name.
This species grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome, often in arroyos, mostly in southern Baja California with a few populations in Sonora near the coast (close to Guaymas).