Salvia cavaleriei H. Lév.

Herbs. Taproot robust, short. Stems 12-32 cm, slender, often violet, glabrous toward base. Basal and lower stem leaves simple to 2-pinnate; petiole 1-7 cm; terminal leaflet narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 2.5-7.5 × 1-3.2 cm, adaxially puberulent or glabrous, abaxially purple, glabrous, base cuneate to rounded, margin remotely obtuse serrate, apex obtuse to rounded; lateral leaflets 1-3-paired; upper stem leaves simple or ternate. Inflorescences slightly puberulent; verticillasters 2-6-flowered, widely spaced, in terminal racemes or panicles; bracts purplish, lanceolate, ca. 2 mm, subglabrous. Pedicel ca. 2 mm. Calyx tubular, ca. 4.5 mm, glabrous, 2-lipped to ca. 1/4 its length, apically fine strigose inside; upper lip entire, apex acute; lower lip longer than upper. Corolla blue-purple to purple-red or white, ca. 8 mm, puberulent; tube pilose annulate inside, ca. 5.5 mm, gradually dilated from base, ca. 2 mm wide at throat; lips subequal, lower to ca. 4 mm wide. Filaments ca. 2 mm; connectives ca. 4.5 mm, upper arms ca. 3 mm, lower arms ca. 0.5 mm. Nutlets black, narrowly ellipsoid, ca. 0.8 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan

* Hillsides, streamsides, forests; 500-2700 m.

Salvia cavaleriei is an herb that is native to Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China, growing in forests, on hillsides, and streamsides at 500 to 2,700 m (1,600 to 8,900 ft) elevation. S. cavaleriei is a short, robust plant reaching 12 to 32 cm (4.7 to 12.6 in) tall. Inflorescences are widely spaced 2–6 flowered verticillasters in terminal racemes or panicles, with a blue-purple to purple-red or white corolla that is approximately 0.8 cm (0.31 in).

There are three named varieties. In addition to variation in leaf shape and size, they have the following flower colors:

S. cavaleriei var. cavaleriei is blue-purple or purple. S. cavaleriei var. erythrophylla is dark purple or white. S. cavaleriei var. simplicifolia is purple or purple-red.