I call this one an Asian Salvia but I honestly do not remember how I acquired it. I am happy it survived the winter in a large pot. Here are the leaves. I will post some flower photos soon that I took in recent years.




Edited to add flower photos from last year.

Nice!

I keep looking for the flower stems. I need seeds to plant to keep this gem alive in my garden.

Good luck!

Here are a few more lousy photos, maybe there is enough detail to venture an ID by an expert?

Joseph

I don't know what the variety is, but hopefully, Kermit will chime in.

Looks very much like one we got years ago from the Berkeley Botanic Gardens, No scientist has ventured to name it - the Chinese herbaceous perennial sages are a naming nightmare. We call it what they do in Berkeley: Salvia species from Szechuan. In probably five years now we have had one - yes, one - viable seed. It is growing now but will not bloom this season. Because we grow so many of the Chinese species, which are so precocious about hybridizing, our lone new seedling could very well be a hybrid. The original plant may be a hybrid, as it never (almost, see above) even sets seed, and is much visited by a range of pollinators.

Thanks Kermit for chiming in!

Thank you, Kermit, for your eloquent assessment!!

Kermit's the best! The King of Salvias!