Karwinski's sage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karwinski's sage |
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Salvia karwinskii, also known as Karwinski's sage, is a beautiful plant that grows year after year. It's a type of shrub, which means it's a woody plant smaller than a tree. This special sage plant comes from the moist mountain forests of several countries in Central America. You can find it naturally in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
It usually grows in or near forests filled with pine or oak trees. These areas are quite high up, typically between 4,000 and 8,000 feet (about 1,200 to 2,400 meters) above sea level. In these places, Salvia karwinskii is well-known for helping bees make honey. However, you don't often see it growing in people's home gardens. Some special gardens, like the Strybing Arboretum and Huntington Botanical Gardens in California, grow specimens of this plant. The University of California Botanical Garden also has some.
What Does Karwinski's Sage Look Like?
This plant can grow quite tall. In gardens in California, it usually reaches about 8 feet (2.4 meters) high and 4 feet (1.2 meters) wide. But in the wild, where it grows naturally, it can get even taller, up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) high!
Its Flowers
The flowers of Karwinski's sage are about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long. They have a unique shape, looking a bit inflated with two distinct lips. Their colors are very striking, ranging from a bright brick-red to a lovely rose-red or even a vibrant scarlet. These colorful flowers grow on long stalks called racemes, which can be up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) long.
The part of the flower that protects the petals, called the calyx, is also very pretty. It's a dark-red color and about 0.5 inches (1.3 centimeters) long.
Its Leaves and Stems
The stems and the stalks that hold the leaves (called petioles) have short, soft, woolly hairs. This makes them look a bit gray. The leaves themselves are evergreen, meaning they stay green all year round. They are about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and feel a bit rough. If you look closely at the underside of the leaves, you can see clear veins and light cream-colored hairs.
