Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

BLUE SAGE

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Salvia azurea Michx. ex Lam.

[=Salvia pitcheri Nutt.]

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 2-5 feet

Family: Lamiaceae - Mint Family

Flowering Period: July, August, September,October

Also Called:

Pitcher sage.

Stems:

Erect, 1 to several, slender, 4-sided, simple or branched above, mostly short grayish-pubescent.

Leaves:

Opposite, simple, short-stalked, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 1 to 3 inches long, to 1 inch wide, variously pubescent; margins toothed to nearly entire; tips pointed; lower leaves usually absent at flowering.

Inflorescences:

Spike-like, long, interrupted, with 2-8 flowered clusters, terminal.

Flowers:

Calyces short-hairy, bluish; corollas 2-lipped, 1/2 to 1 inch long, blue or rarely white; upper lip short, surface densely hairy; lower lip 3-lobed, longer than upper lip; stamens 2, hidden in upper lip.

Fruits:

1-2 nutlets, small, resin-dotted, brown, each 1-seeded.

Habitat:

Dry, open, rocky or sandy prairies, pastures, and roadsides.

Distribution:

East 4/5 of Kansas.

Forage Value:

Pitcher sage is palatable and nutritious for livestock.

Comments:

The name Pitcher sage honors Dr. Zina Pitcher, a U.S. Army surgeon and botanist. The roots can descend 6-8 feet.

Blue sage inflorescence