Scarlet sage

一串红（学名：Salvia splendens）是唇形科鼠尾草属的一种植物。也称爆竹红等，原生于巴西。用作观赏花卉，全草可药用。

多年生草本植物，株高80～100厘米。叶子对生，卵形，有长柄，边缘锯齿状。夏秋顶生总状花序，边被红色茸毛，2～6朵小花轮生，唇形花冠，伸出花萼外；花色以红色居多，也有开白色花（一串白）；花萼萼状，与花瓣同色。花谢后，花冠脱落，花萼宿存；花期7～11月。

适合温度20℃－25℃，15℃以下叶色发黄，30℃以上花、叶变小。播种容易，而且所需关注不多。开花期由秋末至翌年早春，最适宜全年日照，但在烈日下有一定程度的荫顶会较佳。在潮湿环境下其最大的害虫为蛞蝓。

Salvia splendens (scarlet sage, tropical sage) is a tender herbaceous perennial native to Brazil, growing at 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft) elevation where it is warm year-round and with high humidity. The native plant, rarely seen in cultivation, reaches 1.3 m (4.3 ft) tall. Smaller selections are very popular as bedding plants, seen in shopping malls and public gardens all over the world.

The native type is rarely used or described, though it grew from 1.5 to 8 m (4.9 to 26 ft) in height. The most common selections are the dwarf sizes that go by names such as 'Sizzler' and 'Salsa', and planted en masse in gardens and malls. 'Van Houttei' reaches 1 to 1.3 m (3.3 to 4.3 ft) in height. The various types typically have red flowers.

Named cultivars include S. splendens 'Alba', with white flowers; 'Atropurpurea', with dark violet to purple flowers; 'Atrosanguinea', flowers dark red; 'Bicolor', flowers white and red; 'Bruantii', small, with red flowers; 'Compacta', small, flowers in dense racemes, white or red; 'Grandiflora', large, with large red flowers; 'Issanchon', small, with white flowers striped pink to red; 'Nana', an early-flowering cultivar, with red blossoms; 'Scarlet Pygmy', a very dwarf, early flowering seed race with intense scarlet blossoms; 'Semperflorens', continuous flowering; 'Souchetii', small, with white or red flowers; 'St. John's Fire', dwarf plants with dense, abundant, bright red, early-flowering, long-lasting blossoms; and 'Violacea', flowers dark violet to purple. The cultivar 'Van-Houttei' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This is another flower from my childhood and its Chinese name is very descriptive and I like its English name. We used to pick up its flowers and suck honey from the long stick thing. Forgive me but we had so little to eat then.