Munz's Sage, Salvia munzii

About Munz's Sage (Salvia munzii) 24 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Munz's Sage (Salvia munzii) is a rare, and fairly small native shrub that grows in the southern part of the Peninsular Range in California, and down into Baja California, Mexico, where it is relatively common. It grows at elevations from 500-3000 feet, usually in very dry conditions. It is a compact sage that works well in a container or small space. Though it is very drought tolerant, it accepts summer water well. There is a horticultural variety known as 'Emerald Cascade' that is available in some nurseries.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

1.5 - 3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Summer Semi-Deciduous

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Lavender

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Insects, especially bees and butterflies, and birds
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 7 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Wavy-Lined Emerald Synchlora aerataSynchlora aerata

Hawaiian Beet Webworm Spoladea recurvalisSpoladea recurvalis

Pherne subpunctataPherne subpunctata

Anstenoptilia marmarodactylaAnstenoptilia marmarodactyla

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 24

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage

Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils but performs best in well drained soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Groundcovers, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Chamise (Adenostem fasciculatum), San Diego County Viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Coastal Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Ceanothus species, Common Sandaster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia), Dudleya species, California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum), Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), Mexican Flannelbush (Fremontodendron mexicanum), Tecate Cypress (Hesperocyparis forbesii), Lupinus species, Penstemon species, Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea), Oaks (Quercus species), Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri), White Sage (Salvia apiana), Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum), Yucca species, cactus species.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Rocky, dry slopes of southern San Diego County and northern Baja

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 11.1" - 19.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 0.76", Coldest Month: 46.1" - 54.1", Hottest Month: 72.0" - 78.3", Humidity: 1.38" - 24.19", Elevation: 241" - 3511"

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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

Munz's Sage

Salvia munzii

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Munz's SageSalvia munzii

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Munz's Sage

Salvia munzii