Salvia lyrata ‘Purple Knockout’
This cultivated variety of the standard species, Salvia lyrata, offers a unique departure for the landscape. As the cultivar name would suggest Salvia lyrata ‘Purple Knockout’ has stark deep purple foliage at its basal rosette. However, like the straight species, this cultivar produces soft purple flowers in spring that persist until mid-summer. The tubular flowers of Saliva often are attractive to insects with long proboscis, in particular bees.
The range of the straight species extends from Florida to Maine and stretches into parts of Texas and Nebraska. In its native habitat, it can be found in open woodland areas and is tolerant of wet soils.