White Sage, Salvia apiana

About White Sage (Salvia apiana) 96 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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White sage, bee sage, or sacred sage, is a cornerstone species of the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California. White sage is fragrant, with silver-white leaves, and clusters of white flowers with lavender streaks. Young leaves start off green and turn white as they get older.

White sage is deeply rooted in the cultures and lifeways of indigenous communities of Southern California and northern Baja, the only region this sage naturally occurs in the world.

It is also an important food source for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Larger bees, notably carpenter bees, are the predominant pollinators of white sage.

Wild white sage populations are currently under intense threat by development, smudge stick poaching, climate change, drought, and wildfire.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3 - 5 ft tall
3 - 8 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

White

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Hummingbirds, insects, esp. carpenter bees and bumble bees
Hummingbird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Wavy-Lined Emerald Synchlora aerataSynchlora aerata

Hawaiian Beet Webworm Spoladea recurvalisSpoladea recurvalis

Pherne subpunctataPherne subpunctata

Anstenoptilia marmarodactylaAnstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 96

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Adaptable to a variety of soil types. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Groundcovers, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Wild Hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum), Chamise (Adenostoma spp), Penstemon spp, Yucca spp, various cactus species, various annual wildflowers

Maintenance

Flower stalks may be removed when finished in late Summer. Sprawling branches may be removed if desired at any time

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment; sow outdoors in early fall. Germination may be poor if diurnal fluctuation is insufficient; also see alternative treatments for S. mellifera.

Sunset Zones?

7*, 8, 9, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry slopes, foothills, canyons, and mesas of Southern California and Baja California, Mexico, in the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges. A major component of chaparral, coastal sage scrub and inland sage scrub plant communities, including desert transition zone. At higher elevations it is sometimes found in openings in pine forest.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 3.8" - 37.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.84", Coldest Month: 35.6" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 62.1" - 87.7", Humidity: 0.72" - 38.56", Elevation: 7" - 7394"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Salvia apiana var. apiana

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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

White Sage

Salvia apiana

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White SageSalvia apiana

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White Sage

Salvia apiana