Salvia africana-lutea is an aromatic, hardy shrub with unusually coloured flowers borne over a long period. It is fairly fast-growing, up to 2 m and very attractive to wildlife.

The distribution of S. africana-lutea extends from the coast of Namaqualand to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards from there to Port Alfred. In its natural state, it grows not far from the sea and is often a common constituent of the vegetation on coastal sand dunes.