Mealy Blue Sage
Salvia farinacea
The 'mealy' in its name comes from the white, powdery hairs on the calyx and stems, which help the plant conserve water.
- Scientific name
- Salvia farinacea
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Lamiaceae › Salvia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Prairies, meadows, open grasslands, and limestone hillsides.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, absorbing water and minerals from soil).
- Range
- Texas, New Mexico, Mexico
- Size
- 60 to 90 cm tall, 30 to 45 cm wide
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to agriculture and urban development, invasive weed competition.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely approach and touch this plant. Its leaves and stems are non-toxic, though brushing against them releases a pleasant, sage-like aroma. Avoid ingesting large quantities, and do not harvest from protected wild spaces.
Salvia farinacea , the mealycup sage , or mealy sage , is a herbaceous perennial native to Mexico and parts of the United States including Texas and Oklahoma. Violet-blue spikes rest on a compact plant of typically narrow salvia-like leaves; however, the shiny leaves are what set this species apart from most other Salvia , which bear velvety-dull leaves.
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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