This Salvia is throwing up its unusually slender flower spikes in the Glasshouse Bays.
Containing over 900 species the genus Salvia comprises annuals, herbaceous and evergreen perennials, and shrubs from all areas of the world, except hot, humid climates. The genus belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, the members of which all have square stems. Many of the Salvias have aromatic leaves and stems, most are hairy, and all species have two-lipped flowers. In this species the flowers are scarlet and sit in hairy, deep-red calyces, which are tightly positioned along the length of the flower spike. If crushed the leaves emit an unpleasant fragrance. A Peruvian native, S. confertiflora enjoys a dry sunny, sheltered position in the garden.