Lepechinia calycina

White pitcher sage

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

White pitcher sage is a California native perennial found in the northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range foothills, northern and central Sierra Nevada Foothill woodland, central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, southern coastal ranges, and western Transverse Ranges in rocky chaparral and woodland habitats at elevations of 150 to 900 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces white flowers with an inflated, spherical calyx that persists after blooming. Growing with erect stems covered in long, branched, non-glandular hairs, it forms a distinctive aromatic herb up to 1 meter tall. Its leaves are lanceolate to narrowly ovate, ranging from nearly entire to slightly toothed, with a soft, textured surface that releases a fragrant scent when crushed. The plant's delicate white flowers and hairy stems make it a distinctive component of California's dry, rocky woodland landscapes.

Habitat: Common. Rocky slopes; chaparral, woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 150-900 m

Bioregions: NCoR, CaRF, n&ampc SNF, CCo, SnFrB, SCoRO, WTR.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, Lake, San Mateo, Mariposa, Santa Clara, Ventura, Monterey, Butte, Tuolumne, Marin, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, Santa Cruz, Mendocino, El Dorado, Humboldt, San Benito, Nevada, Los Angeles, Napa, Calaveras, Tehama, Yuba, Amador, Placer, Yolo, Plumas, Sierra, Colusa, Orange

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.