Flower profile
Black sage
Salvia mellifera
Black sage is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In California it's most often seen in bloom in January–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Salvia mellifera is a small, highly aromatic, evergreen shrub of the genus Salvia native to California, and Baja California, Mexico. It is common in the coastal sage scrub of Southern California and northern Baja California. Black sage has a dark resinous appearance and releases a strong herbal scent when it is touched. This is especially apparent in dry seasons.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 1 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to California. NatureServe
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 25,807 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #15 among the 110 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
Black sage gift ideas
Handmade black sage gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Black sage art print
-
Placeholder
Black sage greeting card
-
Placeholder
Black sage mug
-
Placeholder
Black sage earrings
-
Placeholder
Black sage embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Black sage sticker
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in January–June.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Salvia coccinea (“Scarlet Sage”), as non-toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records black sage in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
California.
California counties with USDA records: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Ventura.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SAME3.
- iNaturalist, Salvia mellifera: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Salvia mellifera (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Salvia mellifera (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: DeeF via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.