Download ID Guide

Plant Identification Guide
Hummingbird sage
Salvia spathacea
Plant Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
Did you know? As the name implies, this plant attracts hummingbirds.
While the hummingbirds hover at the flower to forage for nectar, which
is located at the base of the floral tube, pollen can be deposited on the
bird’s head by the exserted anthers. Similarly, pollen already on the bird’s
head can be deposited onto the exserted stigma.
Identification Hints
There are many species of true sage
(Salvia) in California. Hummingbird
sage is distinctive in not having
spine-tipped leaves, and in its green
leaves, which contrast with the
grayish white leaves of other species.
The flowers of S. spathacea are
red-magenta-salmon, whereas the
flowers of S.aethiopis are yellow and
the flowers of S. verbenacea are blue
to pinkish-purple.
Plant Description
An aromatic perennial wildflower
with conspicuous red tubular flowers,
square stems, and glandular (sticky)hairy leaves.
Leaves: The arrow-shaped aromatic
leaves are 3.15 to 7.8 in (8 to 20 cm)
long with densely-hairy lower leaf
surfaces and round-toothed margins.
The upper leaf surface can be
sparsely hairy.
Flowers: The flowers are found in
dense, globe-shaped clusters. The floral
tube and its lobes are white to light
blue to lavender, occasionally rosecolored. The upper “lip” of the tube
is comprised of two petal lobes and
the lower “lip” is comprised of three
small lobes. The flowers are bisexual,
which means they have both male and
female reproductive organs. At the peak
of flowering, the flower clusters will
include closed buds, open fresh flowers,
and drying flowers that are developing
into fruits, all in close proximity to each
other.
Habitat: Common throughout coastal
California from Baja California in Mexico
north to San Francisco. Found in many
plant communities less than 2600 ft (800
m) elevation, including chaparral, coastal
sage scrub, and oak woodland.
Bloom time: Although Hummingbird
Sage typically flowers during the spring
months (March to May), it can also be
found flowering in the preceding months
depending on local environmental
conditions. Fruits and seeds ripen
throughout the spring and summer.
Inflorescences: The flowers can range
in color from red to magenta to salmon.
Petals are fused, forming a floral tube
that is 0.8 to 1.5 in (2 to 3.5 cm) deep.
The male and female reproductive
structures extend out of the floral tube.
Fruits: The fruit is a tiny, hard, brown
nutlet, 0.13 to 0.25 in (3.5 to 6.5 mm) in
length and width.
Compiled by: Brian Haggerty, Susan Mazer and Paul
Alaback. Sources: University of California Press,
The Jepson Manual 1993; USDA, NRCS PLANTS
Database; Schwartz, M. D. (editor). 2003. Phenology:
An Integrative Environmental Science. Photo courtesy
of Lynn Watson
budburst.org
| CITIZEN SCIENCE
Timing is everything!
© 2013 NEON, Inc. All rights reserved.