Salvia clevelandii

Cleveland sage

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Cleveland sage is a California native shrub found in southern California coastal areas and the Peninsular Ranges in chaparral and coastal scrub habitats at elevations below 1,350 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces dark blue-violet flowers with distinctive purple-tinged calyces in compact clusters. Growing to less than 1.5 meters tall with gray-green stems covered in bent downward hairs, it has a distinctive bushy appearance. Its leaves are 2 to 4 centimeters long, elliptic-ovate with small rounded teeth, featuring a uniquely puckered surface that gives the plant a textured, aromatic character. The fruit is small, 2 to 2.5 millimeters long, brown to gray and often mottled.

Habitat: Chaparral, dry slopes, coastal scrub

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1350 m

Bioregions: s SCo, PR

California counties: San Diego, San Bernardino, Alameda, Riverside, San Mateo, Orange, Los Angeles, Kern, Shasta

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