Salvia subg. Perovskia

Salvia subgenus Perovskia is a group of species within the flowering plant genus Salvia, which prior 2017 were treated as the separate genus Perovskia.^[2] Members of the group are native to southwestern and central Asia.^[3][4] It includes the garden plant Russian sage (Salvia × floriferior).^[5]

Salvia subg. Perovskia
Salvia × floriferior 'Blue Spire'
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Tribe:	Mentheae
Genus:	Salvia
Subgenus:	Salvia subg. Perovskia (Kar.) J.B.Walker, B.T.Drew & J.G.González[1]

The subgenus and former genus are named after the Russian general V. A. Perovski (1794-1857).^[6]

Species^[7]

1. Salvia abrotanoides (Kar.) Systma – Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, western Himalayas of northern India
2. Salvia bungei J.G.González, formerly Perovskia virgata Kudrjasch. – Tajikistan
3. Salvia karelinii J.B.Walker, formerly Perovskia angustifolia Kudrjasch. – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
4. Salvia klokovii J.B.Walker, formerly Perovskia linczevskii Kudrjasch. – Tajikistan
5. Salvia kudrjaschevii (Gorschk. & Pjataeva) Systma – Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
6. Salvia pobedimovae J.G.González, formerly Perovskia botschantzevii Kovalevsk & Kochk. – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan
7. Salvia scrophulariifolia (Bunge) B.T.Drew – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
8. Salvia yangii B.T.Drew – Afghanistan, Pakistan, western Himalayas, Tibet, Xinjiang

Hybrids^[7]

1. Salvia × floriferior Dolat. & Ziel. – so-called "Russian sage", also referred to as Perovskia × hybrida (unplaced taxon) and its synonym Perovskia × superba in Europe and Russia: (S. abrotanoides × S. yangii)
2. Perovskia × intermedia Lazkov – Kyrgyzstan: (S. abrotanoides × S. karelinii)

Cultivation

Plants in cultivation are almost all hybrids, including Salvia 'Blue Spire', which is very likely Salvia × floriferior, a naturally occurring hybrid between the entire-leaved Salvia yangii and Salvia abrotanoides. The leaves of this breed have long narrow teeth (i.e. are laciniate), unlike S. yangii which has entire leaves with shallow teeth.^[5][8]

Pollen. Zoom 60x