''Salvia recurva'' is a woody-based perennial native to the

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

s of Central America, limited to the northern slopes of

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

, and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

at elevations around . It grows where there is year-round warmth and abundant moisture in the air and on the forest floor. ''Salvia recurva'' was described by George Bentham in 1848, with the specific epithet referring to the distinct curve in the inflorescence when it first appears. ''Salvia recurva'' grows to 6 feet high and 4 feet wide, and is covered with large ovate leaves that are 6 inches long and wide, with the back of the leaf having pronounced veins. The upper surface of the leaf is purple, along with the petiole, which can reach 6 inches long. Inflorescences reach 1 foot long, with flowers in whorls of 6–12, many of them blooming at once. When the inflorescence begins growing, all that can be seen are tightly packed lime-green calyces, which turn purple as the flower matures. The showy and elegant flowers are dark purple, reaching 2 inches in length, with the upper lip lightly covered in hairs, and the lower lip descending downward. The calyces are large, turning dark purple, along with the stem of the inflorescence.

Notes

Plants described in 1848 recurva Flora of Guatemala Flora of Mexico {{Salvia-stub