Salvia dorrii var. pilosa

Hairy sage

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Hairy sage is a California native shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada (eastern slope), Tehachapi, northeastern Transverse Ranges, southeastern Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and northern Mojave Desert regions in desert slopes and washes at elevations of 300 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces blue to purple flowers in distinctive clusters with soft, shaggy bracts. Growing with upright stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms a dense, compact shrub with woody base. Its leaves are relatively small, 0.4 to 3.2 centimeters long, with a unique shape that narrows abruptly near the base and features soft, textured surfaces. The plant is characterized by its soft-hairy bracts and calyx, giving it a distinctive, fuzzy appearance in arid landscapes.

Habitat: Desert slopes, washes

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 300-1900 m

Bioregions: s SNH (e slope), Teh, ne WTR, se PR, GB, n DMoj

California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Modoc, Ventura, Riverside, Tulare, Lassen, Plumas, Humboldt, San Benito, Siskiyou

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