Salvia spathacea

California hummingbird sage, California Hummingbird Sage

Family: Lamiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California hummingbird sage is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Valley, central western California, southern California coastal areas, and Transverse Ranges in oak woodland, chaparral, and coastal-sage scrub at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces red to salmon flowers in clusters less than 6 centimeters wide, with distinctive tubular blooms 25 to 35 millimeters long. Growing as a mat-like perennial with rhizomes and wavy hairs, it spreads across the ground with multiple stems. Its leaves are large, 8 to 20 centimeters long, with a distinctive oblong-hastate shape that appears puckered, featuring rounded teeth and sparse long hairs on the upper surface. The plant forms dense clusters with green to purple bracts, creating an attractive ground cover favored by hummingbirds.

Habitat: Common, oak woodland, chaparral, coastal-sage scrub, open or shady slopes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: s ScV (Solano Co.), CW, SCo, TR.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Solano, San Mateo, Monterey, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Alameda, Mendocino, San Diego, Yolo

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