Salvia repens is a herbaceous perennial native to South Africa (the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Provinces) and Lesotho, growing at elevations between 1,500-8,000 feet in open country and amongst shrubs. It has also adapted to grassland, grassy slopes, and shale banks. It was described and named by botanist George Bentham in 1833, based on a description by William John Burchell, with repens referring to the creeping rootstock.