Salvia, comprised of almost 1000 species, is the largest genus in the Lamiaceae family and an ideal model system to investigate biological diversity and adaptive radiation. Plant diversity of this species is manifested by the diversification of flower organs and pollination mechanisms, which may be driving forces of their origins and evolution. Salvia is characterized by a staminal lever mechanism which is key to pollen transfer. In Salvia, the two monothetic stamens are modified into levers with a thin ligament between the connective and the filament, forming a joint, which is then divided into upper and lower arms. This enables the stamen to reversibly transfer pollen. A pollinator searching for nectar must push back the lower lever arms to allow the pollen-sacs at the end of the upper lever arms to be pressed onto the pollinator's head or back. Then, the pollinator visits a subsequent flower of the same species to transfer pollen to the plant stigma. In Salvia, parallel evolution occurs in American and Eurasian centers of diversity, which have different pollinators but a similar evolutionary direction for Salvia pollination mechanisms. In China, Salvia are classified by three pollination mechanisms based on floral traits, staminal structure, and pollen deposition on the body of bees. Type Ⅰ (short-lever type) is the original group in the subgenus Salvia Benth. with two fertile upper and lower lever arms. Type Ⅱ (long-lever type), which is found in the subgenus Sclarea Benth., involves a staminal lever mechanism that is characterized by two posterior thecae that are not expressed and fused. Type Ⅲ (degraded-lever type), which is found in the subgenus Allagospadonopsis Briq., has a degraded staminal lever structure with two separated and thin sterile posterior thecae. We discovered that these three pollination types contribute to the geographical distribution in China of the three Salvia subgenera. Type Ⅰ was mainly distributed in southwest China with the Hengduan Mountains as its diversity center. Type Ⅱ was mainly distributed in central China including Guizhou, Chongqing, east Sichuan, west Hubei, the Qinling Mountains and the Dabie Mountains. Type Ⅲ was mainly distributed in eastern and southern China; specifically, the Tianmu, Wuyi and Nanling Mountains are their distribution and diversity centers. Unique pollination mechanisms of each plant are based on two aspects of the staminal structures and their automatic movements. Staminal automatic movement was observed in some Salvia species with small flowers from Type Ⅱ or Type Ⅲ. In the corolla, some plant stamens can automatically and slowly make a downward, involuted movement during stamen ageing. Then, the stigma will finally occupy this position the mature stamens had occupied before to accept the pollen from other flowers of the same Salvia species. The evolution of Salvia pollination mechanisms gives rise to pollinator specialization, validity, accuracy, and fidelity. Type Ⅲ plant species have shorter and narrower flower tubes: pollinators are not required to enter the tube to access nectar. Rather, the pollen can be deposited on the pollinator's forehead. Thus, the pollination pattern of Type Ⅲ Salvia plants are more evolved in terms of energy-saving and specialization. Staminal lever mechanisms and floral structures involved in pollen transfer may be critical for adaptive radiation and speciation within Salvia. Future comprehensive species surveys and investigations into the floral structure of Salvia and their pollinators are needed to compare species across continents.