Salvia texana (Scheele) Torrey, texas sage. Perennial herb, taprooted with upright woody caudex, not rosetted, 1—several–stemmed at base, primary axis often erect and branches from base and lateral branches ascending, in range 14—40 cm tall; shoots with basal leaves and cauline leaves, pubescent and with glandular hairs sunken in pits on foliage, aromatic when crushed.
Stems 4–sided but cylindric at base of shoot, to 3 mm diameter, internodes to 40 mm long.
Leaves opposite decussate, simple, petiolate (basal leaves) and sessile (cauline leaves), leaves fused as ledges across node, without stipules; petiole flattened and broadly channeled, to 14 mm long, indistinct from blade; blade of basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 25—60 × 4—10+ mm, long–tapered at base, entire to shallowly toothed on margins, margins not inrolled, acute at tip, pinnately veined with midrib sunken on upper surface and raised on lower surface with other veins obscure, upper surface long–strigose with upward–pointing hairs and swollen bases, lower surface with glandular hairs sunken in pits and scabrous with backward–pointing short hairs along midrib.
Inflorescence raceme, terminal, somewhat leafy, many–flowered, opposite decussate with 8—14 pairs of flowers, flowers horizontal from ascending pedicels, bracteate, pubescent and with some spheric glandular hairs; rachis 4–sided and stemlike, 40+ mm long increasing to 200 mm long in fruit with internodes 5—25 mm long, puberulent and short–hairy without glandular hairs; bractlet subtending pedicel suberect later spreading–ascending arching upward in fruit, sessile, leaflike, 12—14 × 1.5—2 mm, 1–veined raised on lower surface, with stiff point at tip 1 mm long, margins somewhat inrolled under and appearing long–ciliate but hairs limited to upper side not the true margin, puberulent and short–hairy with spheric glandular hairs; pedicel ascending, cylindric, ± 2 mm long, 2× in fruit, puberulent and short–hairy and with spheric glandular hairs.
Flower bisexual, bilateral, 7—8 mm across; calyx 2–lipped, 5–lobed and having sharp points, 11—12 mm long, green, with sunken glandular hairs; tube funnel–shaped, sinuses of lips ca. 4.5 mm from base, 10–ribbed, 10 veins sunken on inner surface, at top having a dense ring of straight, stiff hairs 2.5—4 mm long across orifice concealing ovary and nectar, inner tube and throat with alternate lines of pale purple and pink–purple, with spreading short hairs between stamens; upper lip 3–lobed, lobes somewhat spreading, keeled and folded along midline, lateral lobes asymmetrical triangular, central lobe broadly triangular, points 0.7—1 mm long, whitish, lateral lobes keeled, keels and margins long–hirsute with hairs to 3.5 mm long with very short hirsute hairs; lower lip 2–lobed, lobes ± erect (not spreading), oblong–lanceolate, ca. 7 × 1.7—1.8 mm (including point at tip), ciliate on margins, raised midvein with several long hirsute hairs, sunken glandular hairs restricted to lower lobe; corolla 2–lipped; tube–throat funnel–shaped, 9.5—10.5 mm long, white to below midpoint (tube) and violet above but with 2 broad white patches extending into lower throat, ca. 13–veined, puberulent except around ovary; upper lip hoodlike (= 2 lobes), enclosing stamens but stigmas exserted beyond hood, 5.5—6.3 mm long, deep violet, slightly notched at tip, folded along midline, outer surface puberulent, inner surface glabrous; lower lip 3–lobed, somewhat reflexed, at base of limb pale violet with 2 wide white patches before lobes, lateral lobes ca. 3 × 3 mm, central lobe ca. 4 × 6 mm, deep violet, with shallow sublobes; stamens 2 fertile and 2 vestigial staminodes; fertile stamens with thick, upright filament 2.5—3 mm long, pale violet, with forked anther sacs from swollen base, the lower branch oriented downward with a flattened pale violet connective and cream–colored sac, the upper oriented in corolla hoob with pale violet, filamentlike connective and pale violet sac ca. 1.6 mm long, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen of 2 colors, cream and pale violet; staminodes next to sinuses of lips, = pale violet filaments 0.7—1 mm long with aborted anthers; nectary disc beneath ovary, 4–lobed with larger ones on sides, ca. 1 mm long, pale green, producing nectar; pistil 1; ovary superior, deeply 4–lobed, ± 0.6 mm long, glossy green, glabrous, 2–chambered, each lobe with 1 ovule; style in center of lobes from base of ovary (gynobasic), 13—14 mm long, pale violet, 2–branched, the branches unequal, upper branch ca. 2 mm long and lower branch ca. 3 mm long, flattened on inner faces.
Fruits nutlets 4, 3–sided, ca. 2.3 × 1.8 mm, dull brown, rounded on back and flat on 2 inward faces.
A. C. Gibson