An identification key for Salvia species in Central Asia (Modified from Pobedimova 1954 and Makhmedov 1987) 1. Flowers resupinate, connective tissue between thecae of the anthers very short or weakly swelled, no staminal lever mechanism................................................................................................................................................................................................. Group A - Flowers not resupinate, the connective tissue between thecae of the anthers clearly elongated, articulated around filament tip and moveable (staminal lever mechanism) except for S. verticillata and S. baldshuanica...................................................................... 2. Staminal connectives equal, longer or slightly shorter than filaments, both upper and lower lever arms of staminal lever mechanism bear fertile thecae bearing pollen grains, staminal lever mechanism active; upper corolla lip straight or backward-looking.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... Group B - Staminal connective tissue clearly longer than the filament, only upper lever arm with fertile thecae, lower lever arm reduced to a dolabriform or subulate sterile tissue and not bearing thecae and pollen grains; upper lip of corolla usually falcate or semifalcate, rarely straight (in S. verticillata and S. baldshuanica).......................................................................................................... Group C Group A 1. Leaves bipinnatisect................................................................................................................................................... S. abrotanoides - Leaves not bipinnatisect..................................................................................................................................................................... 2. Flowers sessile or pedicels 0.5–1 mm long; verticillasters 2–6(–8) flowered; calyx covered with simple or branched hairs.......... - Pedicels ca. 2 mm long or longer; verticillasters 2–4 flowered; calyx pubescent with branched, subsessile and stalked hairs or only subsessile (stellate) hairs.................................................................................................................................................................... 3. Leaves 1.5–3(–4) cm long, 0.5–0.8 cm wide, rhombic-lanceolate, sparsely covered with short simple and branched hairs; pedicels 0.5–0.7 mm long; inflorescence virgate; calyx ca. 5 mm long............................................................................................. S. bungei - Leaves 3–7 cm long, 0.7–3.5 cm wide, oblong, lanceolate or ovate, glabrous; pedicels 1 mm long; inflorescence pyramidal; calyx ca. 6–8 mm long................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 4. Leaves oblong; inflorescence 11–18 cm long, short-branched, dense; calyx green, covered with simple and branched hairs.............................................................................................................................................................................................. S. kudrjaschevii - Leaves broadly lanceolate or ovate; inflorescence (17–) 22–30 cm long, branched, lax; calyx +/- colored, +/- violet, rarely green, covered with simple hairs................................................................................................................................................................... 5. Leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, obtuse, crenate, rounded or cordate at base, petiole 0.5–1 cm long; inflorescence leafless............................................................................................................................................................................................. S. scrophulariifolia - Leaves oblong-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, subacute, serrate, cuneate at base, petiole 0.4–0.6 cm long; inflorescence leafy.............................................................................................................................................................................................. S. karelinii 6. Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; calyx 4–5 mm long, pubescent with branched, almost sessile (stellate) hairs; corolla 8–9 mm long.............................................................................................................................................................................. S. klokovii - Leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate; calyx 5–6 mm long, pubescent with branched hairs on stalks, only in the upper third with almost sessile (stellate) branched hairs; corolla 10–12 mm long............................................................................... S. pobedimovae Group B 1. Calyx tubular campanulate, slightly accrescent; stems strongly branched; flowers solitary in axils of floral leaves; caulinar leaves simple and usually entire margin (lower ones large-toothed), 1–2.5 cm long and 0.5–1.2 cm wide................................................. - Calyx slightly inflated (upper lip 3-toothed with very small or subulate-pointed middle tooth, or 2-toothed) or calyx expanded in fruit; stems not strongly branched; flowers 2–3(–10) flowers in axils of floral leaves; caulinar leaves simple (only S. korolkovii) or pinnatisect, dissected or deeply lobed, 4–9 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide................................................................................................ 2. Calyx pubescent with eglandular hairs, its teeth 5–7 mm long in fruit.............................................................................................. - Calyx pubescent with glandular hairs, its teeth 1–4 mm long in fruit................................................................................................ 4 3. Lower calyx lip longer than the upper; pedicels 15–20 mm long......................................................................... S. schmalhausenii - Lower calyx lip shorter than the upper, pedicels 8–13 mm long..................................................................................... S. kamelinii 4. Corolla tube included in the calyx or very slightly exserted........................................................................................... S. aequidens - Corolla tube exserted from calyx half of its length or the length of calyx 25–30 mm long............................................................... 5. Floral axis glandular-pubescent; pedicels 6–9 mm long.................................................................................................... S. drobovii - Floral axis glabrous; pedicels 7–12 mm long..................................................................................................................................... 6. Stem always repeatedly branched; calyx lips subequal, the teeth of upper lip subequal........................................ S. camplylodonta - Stem mostly simply branched; lower calyx lip longer than the upper one, lateral teeth of upper lip longer than the middle teeth........................................................................................................................................................................................... S. margaritae 7. Fruiting calyces infundibular with widely spreading rounded lobes.................................................................................................. - Fruiting calyces usually urceolate, upper lip 3-toothed with very small or subulate-pointed middle tooth or 2-toothed.................. 8. Leaves simple; calyx greenish-yellow and corolla cream-yellowish.............................................................................. S. korolkovii - Leaves pinnatisect; calyx and corolla light to dark pink................................................................................................. S. bucharica 9. Plants 15–20 cm tall; calyx 22–25 mm long, upper lip 2-toothed, all teeth of the calyx blunt, without awl-shaped sharpening................................................................................................................................................................................................ S. submutica - Plants 25–65 cm tall; calyx 10–22 mm long, upper lip 3-toothed, sometimes with a very small reduced middle teeth, all teeth of the calyx subulate pointed................................................................................................................................................................ 0 10. Stem with few (3–4) basal leaves; pedicels reddish-purple, with different pairs of bracts; one bract oblong-ovate, large, up to 15 mm long, the other lanceolate, small, up to 4 mm long; calyx with a sharp network of green and reddish-purple anastomosing veins............................................................................................................................................................................... S. vvedenskii - Stem leafless or with reduced stem leaves, leaves mostly basal; pedicels green, with the same pairs of bracts; calyx without a noticeable network of veins.............................................................................................................................................................. 11. Middle stem internodes bare; basal leaves elliptical, deeply incised into ovoid or triangular blunt lobes; calyx 10–16 mm length........................................................................................................................................................................................ S. glabricaulis - Middle stem internodes densely covered with long, thin, multicellular, trampled hairs with an admixture of long and short-necked glands; basal leaves oblong-lanceolate, deeply pinnate-dissected into elliptical, triangular-oblong sharp-toothed; calyx 16–22 mm long................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12. Corolla naked outside; plants of Pamiro-Alay................................................................................................................................ - Corolla finely tortuous hairy outside, sometimes with an admixture of sessile glands; plants of Western Tien Shan.................... 4 13. Pedicels 5–7 mm long; flowers pale-white..................................................................................................................... S. komarovii - Pedicels 8–12 mm long; flowers pale lilac-blue.................................................................................................... S. lilacinocoerulea 14. Basal leaves large, 7–9 cm long, 3–4 cm wide, deeply pinnately dissected into triangular-oblong sharp-toothed lobes; calyx glabrous inside, its upper lip with a well-defined middle tooth................................................................................. S. tianschanica - Basal leaves relatively small, 4–5 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide; deeply pinnatisect, the segments flexuous-linear; calyx hairy inside, its upper lip with a very reduced middle tooth................................................................................................................... S. trautvetteri Group C 1. Lower staminal arm subulate, lever mechanism not active; upper corolla lip straight...................................................................... - Lower staminal arm expanded (dolabriform tissue), lever mechanism active; upper corolla lip falcate or semifalcate................... 2. Low subshrubs with densely pubescent white leaves; upper corolla lip deeply emarginated, not narrowed at base and not movable; verticillasters 2-flowered; filaments long and exserted from corolla tube................................................................ S. baldshuanica - Perennial herb with short hairs; upper corolla lip slightly emarginated, narrowed at base and movable up; verticillasters 20–40– flowered; filaments short and included in corolla tube.................................................................................................. S. verticillata 3. Annual; stems often topped by a colored coma of sterile bracts........................................................................................... S. viridis - Perennnial or biennial plants; stems without a colored coma at the top............................................................................................ 4 4. Leaves pinnatifid with spreading linear segments....................................................................................................... S. ceratophylla - Leaves not pinnatifid.......................................................................................................................................................................... 5. Calyx markedly accrescent in fruit, 22–30 mm long; upper corolla lip slightly curved.................................................................... - Calyx not or poorly accrescent in fruit, up to 22 mm long; upper corolla lip falcate or slightly concave......................................... 6. Leaves green above, almost glabrous, pubescent below; inflorescences compact, verticillasters 1–1.5 cm apart from each other; bracts longer than calyx; corolla tube hidden in the calyx; flowers white (pink)............................................................... S. insignis - Leaves green on both sides, glabrous or covered with sparsely short glandular hairs along the veins beneath; inflorescences lax, verticillasters 2–3 cm apart from each other; bracts almost as long as or slightly shorter than calyx; corolla tube strongly exposed from the calyx; flowers white or pale violet............................................................................................................. S. gontscharovii 7. Inflorescence candelabriform, widely spreading and branching; stems eglandular lanate; calyx densely white lanate hairy........................................................................................................................................................................................................ S. aethiopis - Inflorescence not candelabriform; stems pilose to villous; calyx short pilose to pubescent, never white lanate hairy..................... 8. Corolla usually less than 20 mm long, usually violet-blue; calyx 5–10 mm in anthesis, upper calyx lip strongly reflexed in fruit, with two deep sulcate grooves............................................................................................................................................................ - Corolla usually more than 20 mm long, usually white, pinkish, or pale lilac; calyx 10–20 mm in anthesis, upper calyx lip not strongly reflexed in fruit, without two deep sulcate grooves........................................................................................................... 9. Floral leaves as long as or shorter than the calyx, green, non-imbricate in bud; inflorescence usually branched, widely-paniculate (in S. virgata and S. turcomanica) or simple (in S. dumetorum), with 12–40 verticillasters........................................................... 0 - Floral leaves exceeding the calyx, violet, imbricate in bud; inflorescence simple or slightly branched, with 5–30 verticillasters. 10. Basal leaves oblong or cordate-oblong; flowers bisexual, pistillate, or a mix of bisexual and pistillate..................... S. dumetorum - Basal leaves elliptic-oblong to ovate-oblong, or oblong-lanceolate; all flowers bisexual............................................................... 11. Corolla 14–16 mm long, upper lip falcate, almost equal to the lower lip, corolla tube short, hidden in calyx; stem and calyx with long glandular hairs.............................................................................................................................................................. S. virgata - Corolla 16–20 mm long, upper lip straight or slightly concave, but not falcate, upper lip slightly longer than the lower one, corolla tube significantly exposed from the calyx; stem and calyx eglandular hairy............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ S. turcomanica 12. Leaves green on both sides, glabrous above, villous along the veins beneath; bracts longer than or as long as the calyx; calyx nerves covered with very short appressed hairs; corolla blue-violet.......................................................................................... S. nemorosa - Leaves dull green above, clearly pubescent, gray by a dense pubescence beneath; bracts usually shorter than calyx; calyx nerves covered with long hairs; corolla bright purple or pink (albino white)................................................................................. S. deserta 13. Corolla tube squamulate, ventricose (corolla tube abruptly widening towards throat).................................................................... 4 - Corolla tube not squamulate, ventricose or not (corolla tube gradually widening towards throat)................................................. 14. Upper corolla lip lilac; bracts clearly longer than the calyx (1.5–2 times), bracts white, greenish, pink to mauve.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... S. sclarea - Upper corolla lip white; bracts as long as or slightly longer than the calyx, bracts yellowish green.............................................. 15. Leaves ovate to ovate-oblong, glabrous or with few scattered hairs above, densely patent hairy beneath; calyx 12–15 mm long, recurved in fruit......................................................................................................, Published as part of Turdiboev, Obidjon A., Shormanova, Aijamal A., Sheludyakova, Mariya B., Akbarov, Feruz, Drew, Bryan T. & Celep, Ferhat, 2022, Synopsis of the Central Asian Salvia species with identification key, pp. 1-20 in Phytotaxa 543 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.543.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6424279, {"references":["Pobedimova, E. G. (1954) Salvia. In: Shishkin, B. K. (Ed.) Flora of the U. S. S. R. 21. Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk SSR, Moscow, pp. 154 - 657.","Makhmedov, A. M. (1987) Salvia L. In: Adylov, T. A. (Ed.) Conspectus florae Asiae Mediae, vol. 9. Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent, pp. 138 - 150. [in Russian]"]}