Flower profile
Giant blue sage
Salvia azurea
Giant blue sage (Salvia azurea) is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly September–November across the U.S.
Giant blue sage is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in September–November.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Salvia azurea, the blue sage or azure sage, is a herbaceous perennial in the genus Salvia that is native to Central and Eastern North America.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. NatureServe
- In Kansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–October. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,133 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #9 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 681 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #47 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 379 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #29 among the 147 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Kansas
- No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kansas.
- Oklahoma
- No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
- Nebraska
- Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
- 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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. 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 giant blue sage in 27 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin.
Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.
Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Atoka, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Cherokee, Cleveland, Comanche, Craig, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harper, Haskell, Jackson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Logan, Major, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Oklahoma, Osage, Ottawa, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Tulsa, Washita, Woods, Woodward.
Nebraska counties with USDA records: Gage, Jefferson, Kearney, Lancaster, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Richardson, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, Webster.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 469 counties across 23 states; the most are in Kansas (85), Texas (64), Oklahoma (49).
Other Salvia on Bloomipedia (7): Lyreleaf sage, Black sage, Chia, White sage, Mealy blue sage, Tropical sage, Russian sage.
More from the Lamiaceae family (44 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common selfheal, Ground-ivy, Red deadnettle, American beautyberry, Henbit deadnettle, Wild bergamot, American germander, Common motherwort.
More Kansas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SAAZ.
- iNaturalist, Salvia azurea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Salvia azurea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
- Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
- Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Salvia azurea (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
- Photo: Luka S. (someplant) via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.