Flower profile

Mealy blue sage

Salvia farinacea

Mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea) is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–October across the U.S.

Not native to Texas

Mealy blue sage is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in April–October.

7states where USDA records it

13,503TX sightings*

13,538U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Texas

Quick look

Salvia farinacea, the mealycup sage, or mealy sage, is a herbaceous perennial native to Nuevo León, Mexico and parts of the United States including Texas and Oklahoma. Violet-blue spikes rest on a compact plant of typically narrow salvia-like leaves; however, the shiny leaves are what set this species apart from most other Salvia, which bear velvety-dull leaves.
From Wikipedia's article Salvia farinacea, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 7 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as not native to Texas. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 13,503 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #36 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Texas, most flowering sightings come in April–October.

Flowering records by month in Texas (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (838 records)

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
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
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?

For peopleNot well documented

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}

For petsNot well documented

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 mealy blue sage in 7 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Brewster, Burnet, Callahan, Collin, Comal, Crockett, Culberson, Dallas, Denton, Eastland, Edwards, Gillespie, Goliad, Guadalupe, Hays, Irion, Jeff Davis, Karnes, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Lavaca, Madison, Marion, McCulloch, McLennan, Menard, Milam, Navarro, Nolan, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Runnels, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Shackelford, Shelby, Sterling, Sutton, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Williamson.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Salvia earlei.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 67 counties across 4 states; the most are in Texas (59), Florida (3), New Mexico (3).

Other Salvia on Bloomipedia (7): Lyreleaf sage, Black sage, Chia, White sage, Tropical sage, Giant blue 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 Texas flowers

Lemon beebalm

Monarda citriodora

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: May–July

Henbit deadnettle

Lamium amplexicaule

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in TX: January–March

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SAFA2.
iNaturalist, Salvia farinacea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Salvia farinacea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Salvia farinacea (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Reid Hardin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.