Salvia dentata, in Afrikaans commonly known as the bergsalie (moutain salvia), is a shrub reaching heights ranging from 1 m to 2 m. It was first described by William Aiton in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. Not all participate in the main historical events of the day, or consider the same ones to be the real main events.
S. dentata has aromatic leaves that are narrow and paddle-shaped on long, furrowed petioles. The leaf folds inwards along its central vein or midrib. It also recurves, i.e. curving down towards the tip. The specific name, dentata, meaning tooth-like (Latin), refers to the toothed leaf margins. As the photo indicates, those teeth are quite irregular and variable, sometimes negligible. The leaf-shape helps to distinguish this plant from another blue flowering salvia, viz. S. africana-caerulea.
The species distribution is in the northwest of the Western Cape, the Knersvlakte and northwards along the west coast to Namaqualand. The photo was taken in Kirstenbosch.
The habitat is dry, sandy or rocky outcrops and hillsides of the arid winter rainfall region. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2009; Le Roux, et al, 2005; Wikipedia; www.worldofsalvias.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).