Flower profile
White sage
Salvia apiana
White sage (Salvia apiana) is a low shrub in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.
White 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 April–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: California
Quick look
Salvia apiana, the Californian white sage, bee sage, or sacred sage is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as 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 April–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 16,499 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #40 among the 178 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In California, most flowering sightings come in April–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
- G3 Vulnerable 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 white 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: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 8 counties across 1 states; the most are in California (8).
Other Salvia on Bloomipedia (7): Lyreleaf sage, Black sage, Chia, Mealy blue 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 California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SAAP2.
- iNaturalist, Salvia apiana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Salvia apiana (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 apiana (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: desertnaturalist via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.