Carried by 68 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Native to Southern California's coastal sage scrub region, White Sage (Salvia apiana) is one of the state's most important Salvia species. 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. This plant's limited wild populations are under threat from poaching, climate change, and development.
Nursery-grown White Sage is a valuable pollinator plant in the garden. The small white flowers are a favorite of carpenter bees, bumble bees, and hummingbirds. In Latin, "apiana" means of or belonging to bees. The blooms are accented by silvery-white foliage. White Sage is a drought-adapted low-water shrub that grows best in full sun. Pruning helps keep it neat and compact.
Shrub
3 - 5 ft Tall
3 - 8 ft Wide
Mounding
Fast, Moderate
Summer Semi-deciduous
Pleasant
White
Winter, Spring, Summer
Bank stabilization, Groundcover, Hedge
Full Sun
Low, Very Low
Max 1x / month once established
Easy
Tolerates cold to 0° F
Fast, Medium
Adaptable to a variety of soil types.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
Flower stalks may be removed when finished in late summer. Sprawling branches may be removed if desired at any time.
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 Black Sage (Salvia mellifera).
7*, 8, 9, 11, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
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.
Chaparral, Coastal Scrub, Lowland Chaparral, Maritime Desert Scrub, Southern Coastal Scrub
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Wild Hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum), chamise (Adenostoma spp.), Penstemon species, Yucca species, various cactus species, various annual wildflowers
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Likely
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Confirmed
Bombus californicus
Crotch's Bumble Bee
Bombus crotchii
Yellow Bumble Bee
Bombus fervidus
Black-tailed Bumble Bee
Bombus melanopygus
Onions
Allium cepa
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Canola
Brassica napus
Peppers
Capsicum annuum
Bornstein, C., Fross, D., O'Brien, B. (2005). California Native Plants for the Garden. Cachuma Press.