| White Sage |
| Salvia apiana |
| Family: Lamiaceae (Mint) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 1" long, type: tubular, lipped |
White Sage has a labiate [lipped] flower, about one inch long. Five petals fuse to form a tube that splits into two lips. The three lobed lower lip, white with many small magenta dots, folds to obscure the much smaller upper lip. It takes the weight of a bumblebee to open the flower, and smaller pollinators are frustrated. Also visible are a pistil with forking tip and two white stamens and anthers.
Flower stalks rising over the bush hold multiple branching clusters of reddish buds that seem to bloom singly.
Habit:
White Sage is a perennial subshrub usually less than three feet tall. The woody stems branch frequently. The pale green leaves are elliptic [narrow at base and tip] and grow whiter with age. The leaves are leathery and evergreen, but drought deciduous. Pleasant sage aroma with pine and lemon [to my nose].
White Sage is important to many Native American cultures. The Chumash ate the stems and leaves. Others harvested the seeds. There are medicinal and spiritual uses. Over-harvesting has become a major threat to the White Sage population.
The species name apiana refers to the importance of bees. Prefers sun.
Observations:
Northoaks near Cabrillo HS. I have not seen a specimen in any other part of the reserve.