Florida Flora Friday: Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea)

 

I love sage. Both the edible and ornamental varieties. I have Salvia officinalis planted in the yard for culinary use, but I also have ornamental sages. I bought some Sirius Blue (native to North America, but not Florida) several years ago before I really understood the importance of native plants. Now I'm adding Florida's native Scarlet Sage (also called Tropical Sage and Blood Sage for the color). 

It's a tender, short-lived perennial here in Zone 9b, but dies back to the ground in winter. It happily reseeds, however. In fact, it can be more than a little aggressive, which is fine by me right now, since I plan to use the two plants I bought from Bee Native to propagate it throughout the rest of the yard. 

Scarlet Sage can bloom at any time of year and, from what I've seen, tends to do just that, all the way up until the temps get too cold. It needs little in the way of water or care, too, making it a great choice for a water-wise yard. Note that while it reseeds heavily, the seeds don't germinate at the same time. You'll find new seedlings popping up throughout the year after it goes to seed once.

Scarlet Sage is fantastic if you want to attract pollinators — bees, butterflies, and more are drawn to it. it also attracts hummingbirds, warblers, and nut hatches to the yard. 

But is it edible? The leaves can be, although there are conflicting reports. The flowers can cause stomach aches. If you're looking for culinary options, stick with officinalis or Pineapple Sage (which looks a lot like Scarlet Sage).

The Florida Wildflower Foundation has some good information on this native wildflower, as does the Florida Native Plant Society.