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Fragrant Pitcher Sage
Lepechinia fragrans
  
About Fragrant Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia fragrans) 48 Nurseries Carry This Plant Fragrant Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia fragrans) is a flowering herbaceous shrub known by the common names island pitchersage and fragrant pitchersage. It is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family, but like other Lepechinia, the flowers are borne in racemes instead of in mintlike whorls.

Fragrant Pitcher Sage is endemic to California. It is found in open areas in chaparral, in dry ravines, on rocky slopes and ridgetops, between 200 and 3500 feet. It is known in the Trifuno Pass area of the Santa Monica Mountains and in the San Gabriel Mountains, as well as the northern Channel Islands. It may also exist in Ventura County and areas on the south coast below Los Angeles County.


It is threatened by development and by fire management. Though it is not listed as a threatened or endangered plant by the State of California or by the U.S. federal government, it is listed by the California Native Plant Society as a plant of limited distribution that is fairly endangered and should be watched.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 5 ft tall
3 - 5 ft wide

Form
Form
Rounded, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds, insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Anstenoptilia marmarodactyla Image
Anstenoptilia marmarodactylaAnstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as adequate moisture is present. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Island Alumroot, Santa Cruz Island Gooseberry, Catalina Island Gooseberry, Island Ceanothus, Summer Holly, Tree Poppy, Oak species

Maintenance
Maintenance
May be pruned to shape, but use caution not to over-prune older woody growth

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19*, 20*, 21, 22, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Ravines and rocky slopes, often north-facing where chaparral is the dominant cover

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 11.8" - 36.5", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 1.32", Coldest Month: 41.7" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 62.3" - 77.4", Humidity: 1.45" - 24.01", Elevation: 7" - 5719"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Sphacele wallacei
Common Names: Fragrant Pitchersage, Island Pitchersage


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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