Salvia apiana

Identification

Description

White sage is a two to five foot evergreen perennial. The flowers emerge in summer and are white with a little lavender. They pucker-back with the stamens hanging out to the sides. White sage gives the bees fits because they can't get in and out very well. Bumblebees seem to be able to fight their way in and hummingbirds figure it out. White sage leaves start out crinkly grey/green and become smooth white. A sage native to the southern coast ranges, into the Palmdale area along the desert south up to at least 5800 feet. Salvia apiana likes dry slopes, full sun, and no extra water. It is not specific to one soil, growing in sandy loam, granitic scree, and red loamy clay. In the garden if it is happy it makes a very large flower spike (5') with 100+ 1" flowers. White sage is hardy to about 12 F. here in the central coast ranges, but is more hardy in the desert areas. In its range it receives between 6-26" of rain/year. This sage will survive 0 in the higher desert areas, such as above Palmdale and not here in the central coast ranges because the temperatures dip down below freezing only for a few hours (the ground doesn't freeze) there. This is the one used in sweat lodges in the past and apartments in the present. Most of the stuff sold in the upscale trendy places was ripped out of the wild; whole hillsides stuffed into an old van and driven to San Francisco or Seattle or even New York so people can experience something. Well, the hillsides of southern California do not need the experience; go burn old socks or something, experience what the hillsides are experiencing. If you do buy one of these burn sticks, may your soul go with the smoke. Curse on you. (Especially the lady that called up protesting the curse.) We sell gallon plants we grow from nursery-grown plants. Plant a few white sage for your own sticks and a few for your friends. This plant has lead to some interesting questions: "Would you define the Salvia apiana leaf 'fragrance/scent' for me? We are trying to develop a Salvia apiana scented votive... Our response, kinda like sage/pine needles/burning rubber/skunk. Burn that in your pipe! Click here for more about California Sages

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