Salvia elegans, commonly called Pineapple sage or Tangerine Sage, is a perennial shrub native to Mexico and Guatamala.

S. elegans has tubular red flowers and an attractive scent in the leaves that is similar to pineapple. It produces numerous erect leafy stems and flowers in the late autumn. The red flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

In a highland temperate forest in central Mexico, pineapple sage was found to be one of the top three most-visited-species by the hummingbirds. The flowering season in Mexico is August onward. Further north it may not flower till later autumn and continue to flower till spring – if there are no frosts.

Pineapple sage grows to 3.9 to 4.9 feet tall. Its roots extend underground to form a large clump. The pale yellow-green leaves are veined, and covered with fine hairs. Six to twelve scarlet flowers grow in whorls, with a long inflorescence that blooms gradually and over a prolonged period of time.

In the frost the plant will die down to the ground and but will grow back the following spring. Pineapple sage was introduced into horticulture about 1870.

The variety “Honey Melon”, which has the same pineapple fragrance in the leaves, blooms early in the summer, rather than in autumn.

The leaves and flowers of S. elegans are edible. The plant is extensively used in Mexican traditional medicine, for the treatment of anxiety and for lowering of blood pressure.

Although scientific information about these medicinal properties is scarce, a preliminary study on mice found support for the plant’s anti depressant and anti anxiety properties.