| Common Name |
Black sage |
| Latin Name |
Salvia mellifera |
| Family |
Lamiaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
7-9, 14-24 / 8-10 |
| Type / Form |
Shrub / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Dry slopes 3,000 to 9,000 feet in California and Nevada |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam low in organic
content, well drained |
| Water |
Once or twice per month |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Height X Width |
Maximum 4 feet X 4 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Green, fern-like |
| Flowers |
Fragrant with violet to lavender flowers |
| Bark / Roots |
|
| Maintenance |
Low |
| Propagation |
Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place
within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they
are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas
where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to
grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them
out in late spring of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood
succeed at almost any time in the growing season. |
| Pests and diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, rock garden, low maintenance, parkways |
| Garden Suitability |
Thornless, Hummingbird, Fragrant, Mountain, Moonlight,
Fire Retardant, Ethnobotanical |
| Nature Value |
Browsed by wildlife, attracts hummingbirds |
| Native American Uses |
Seeds used for food. Medicinal. |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?special=calflora&where-calrecnum=7311&one=T |
| Images and data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=same3 |
| Images and data |
http://www.californiagardens.com/plant_pages/Salvia/salvia_mellifera.htm |
| Images and data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_mellifera |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/blacksage.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Salvia%20mellifera.pdf |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51607/ |
| Images and data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Salvia_mellifera |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Salvia+mellifera |
| Data |
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4745,4865,4880 |
| Data |
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/salmel/all.html |
| Images |
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/550094369aHgzWL |
| Distribution |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SAME3 |
| Nursery, images, and
data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/612.htm |
| Nursery, mages, and data |
http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Salvia+mellifera |
