Flower profile
Tropical sage
Salvia coccinea
Tropical sage is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Salvia coccinea, the blood sage, scarlet sage, Texas sage, or tropical sage, is a herbaceous perennial in the family Lamiaceae that is widespread throughout the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. At one time Brazil was considered to be where it originated, but its diploid chromosome count now points to Mexico as its place of origin.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 9,073 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #63 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
Tropical sage gift ideas
Handmade tropical sage gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Tropical sage art print
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Tropical sage greeting card
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Tropical sage mug
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Tropical sage earrings
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Tropical sage embroidery pattern
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Tropical sage sticker
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in January–December.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
ASPCA's entry “Scarlet Sage” (Salvia coccinea) lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records tropical sage in 9 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas.
Texas counties with USDA records: Bee, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Cameron, Comal, Comanche, Dallas, Denton, Erath, Fayette, Galveston, Gillespie, Goliad, Grayson, Harris, Hidalgo, Houston, Jackson, Karnes, Kleberg, Llano, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Nueces, Orange, Robertson, San Patricio, Starr, Travis, Tyler, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Webb, Willacy.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SACO5.
- iNaturalist, Salvia coccinea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Salvia coccinea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Salvia coccinea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
- Photo: Center for Urban Ecology via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.