Salvia guaranitica var. purpurea

The photo does not quite show the true violet/purple colour of this Salvia. It is from Argentina, and would appear to be a species, and not a hybrid, as it sets a few seeds which so far have come true, and it displays the characteristics of S. guaranitica. The name has not been verified as yet. It is fast growing, and flowers from mid-summer. Should be reasonably hardy. It is not to be confused with the hybrids....'Betsy's Purple', 'Purple Majesty', 'Black Knight', or 'Jean's Purple Passion', all of which are very late-flowering in the UK. Neither should it be confused with a forthcoming introduction...Salvia 'Amistad', which has the potential of taking the Salvia world by storm soon! More about this to follow.