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Purple Sage
Salvia leucophylla
  
About Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla) 80 Nurseries Carry This Plant Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla) is an aromatic sage native to the southern coast of California and Baja California, with a range stretching from Santa Maria southward, at 150-2500 feet altitude.

The leaves are gray-green, 1-3 inches long, with a puckered surface. The large spikes bear whorls of beautiful purple flowers, 0.2-0.6 inches long. The flowers are highly aromatic and attract a variety of birds and insects. One variety of Purple Sage, Salvia leucophylla Point Sal, makes a great groundcover, usually growing over 10 feet wide and only 2-4 feet high.

This plant is tough, easy to grow and beautiful. It is amazingly drought tolerant, though it can also tolerate light water up to twice per month in the summer to keep it looking a little greener.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
2 - 5 ft tall
3 - 10 ft wide

Form
Form
Mounding, Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Purple, Lavender, Pink

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Bees, hummingbirds, other pollinators

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed , 8 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0 - 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Variable. Soil PH: 5 - 8

Common uses
Common uses
Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Cleveland Sage, California Buckwheat, Lemonade Berry

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry open slopes

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 7.4" - 37.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 1.43", Coldest Month: 40.5" - 56.1", Hottest Month: 62.3" - 80.3", Humidity: 0.72" - 27.58", Elevation: 11" - 5843"

Alternative Names
Common Names: San Luis Purple Sage


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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