Salvia africana-lutea, commonly the dune salvia and in Afrikaans the bruinsalie (brown salvia) or strandsalie (strand salvia), is a hardy, greyish, aromatic shrub that reaches heights around 2,5 m.
The salvias get their generic name from the Latin word salvere which means to salve or to heal. The lutea component of the specific name is derived from the Latin word luteus meaning deep yellow or golden yellow, presumably referring to flower colour. The plant's scientific name may revert to an older one, S. aurea.
The pairs of golden-brown spring flowers mature into a rusty orange and later become brown. The dark, saucer-shaped calyx persists when the petals drop off and is an attraction itself. The plant attracts many kinds of birds and insects.
The floral bracts seen among the leaves in picture are green, hardly discernible from the leaves. In another photo in this Album the bracts are purplish brown.
The species distribution hugs the Western Cape coastline, extending to the south of the Northern Cape coastal region in Namaqualand and the west of the Eastern Cape coast.
The habitat is coastal scrub in sandy soils and on dunes, also arid fynbos. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).