I once got Salvia regeliana from a European university botanical garden that seemed to really be S. virgata or S. amplexicaulis, with one inch lavender flowers in whorls of 6 to 8. Salvia regeliana Trautv., described in The Flora of the USSR, is supposed to be a synonym for S. verticillata, which has numerous small flowers.

Many thanks for your reply Richard. Actually after sending my message I searched further and found an entry in the International Plant Names Index about a S. regeliana from Caucasus. Also interesting the fact that it is considered a synonym of S. verticillata. I have never grown S. verticillata in my climate and soil but from the pictures I have seen the whorls are more crowded of flowers than in my Salvia regeliana.

I have grown what was given to me as S. regeliana for a few years now. I seems most related to S. transylvanica with similar leaf and flower, so I would buy a Caucasus provenance. The biggest difference between the two is in the flower spike, the regeliana I have is vertical and transylvanica arches.
I have acquired seeds of S. verticillata that present a rather different leaf and flower habit in this their first year of growth. Leaves are lighter green and the flowers are smaller and more congested. I have no memory of possible flower color differences.
Now, as with some other Salvia I have (why is this genus so mixed up and often mis-labeled?) I have never been happy with the name provided with the seed. Too little information can be found linked to the name and this post is the first time I have heard of a possible synonymy.
With Richard's "seemed to really be S. virgata or S. amplexicaulis" I have searched and find my plants to most resemble S. virgata, now comes my task of trying to disprove this latest assumption. For as I constantly find with Salvia, my regeliana may not be the same problem child as your regeliana.
Thanks for bringing it up!
Brian

Here is a link that might be useful: Linnean herbarium - Salvia virgata L.