Salvia apiana, also referred to as White Sage, is a plant specimen found in Southern and Northern Baja regions in California. This sage is unique to California, and its kind are not found outside of the state. Salvia apiana is typically found in several areas ranging from high to low temperatures. Some of these locations include deserts, canyons, pine forests, and areas up in higher elevations. Like others of its kind, the plant needs sunlight to go through photosynthesis. Moisture levels are very low, and the plant has a high tolerance to colder temperatures (up to 0 degrees Fahrenheit). Plants receive some of their nutrients from the soil they are planted in, and this sage thrives in soils with a pH of about 6-8. The texture of the plant adds to its unique appearance, with small, soft fur-like hairs coating the leaves and stems of the plant. 

White sage is classified as a shrub, and its dimensions vary from species to species. On average, Salvia apiana is about 3-5 feet tall and 3-8 feet wide. Unlike large plants and trees, sages can grow quickly from the time they are planted. At first sight, the plant resembles a typical lawn plant, but when given a closer look, it has distinct features and structures that set it apart from other shrubs. For instance, the plant possesses thick and thin stems that provide the leaves and flowers with nourishment. The stems have a small curve to them, allowing them to grow and spread openly in the space they are present in. Additionally, the plant has wooden branches that shoot up from the soil, and these provide the Sage with protection and physical structural support. The leaves have a unique feature: they are bright green when they first grow, but turn gray as they age. Small white flowers bloom from the plant when temperatures are cooler, giving the sage its strong-fresh fragrance. With all the components combined, the sage plant serves as a food source for wildlife in the area. 

In the UCLA Herbarium, the image shows Salvia apiana that was collected by Henry J. Thompson on May 14, 1960. The species is originally from Santa Monica Mountains and appears to be collected on a highway. The species is from the family Lamiaceae and has a chaparral habitat. The metadata from the digital media displays its description being subshrub and woody. In the Materia Medica, the image discovered depicts Salvia apiana as a light-green plant with narrow and thin leaves. The leaves dangle on its sides while pointed upwards and the plant itself does not appear to have much height. 

The Salvia apiana species in the Botanical garden were around three and a half feet tall with fresh, green leaves that were, themselves, long and narrow. This is slightly different from the features of the Materia Medica, which potentially could be the result of the preservation of the plants for its distinct and unique features. The leaves all appeared to point upwards, perhaps as an adaptive mechanism to the more sunny dry slopes and almost gravelly soil that it inhabits. There were no flowers blooming possibly because of the Spring season as some of the clustered leaves had dried out conical flower stems. 

As mentioned above, Salvia apiana grows primarily in the Southern and Northern Regions. Among these regions reside multiple Native American tribes, and they use the sage plant for various purposes. Because this species is a white sage, there has been historically multiple medicinal usages from various Native American tribes. For instance, individuals of the Chumash Indian tribe have utilized the plant species for healing practices, relaxation purposes, and have used the plant in multiple remedies. Salvia apiana seeds were used to clean and heal eyes. The seeds would be placed on eyes during bedtime, and the seeds would swell up and collect any foreign substances on the eyeballs. Women from certain tribes would drink an infusion of Salvia apiana roots to promote internal healing after giving birth. Furthermore, some tribes in those regions believe that the sage is sacred, and they use the plants for purification ceremonies. These religious practices include collecting and burning parts of the plant during large gatherings and ceremonies. More contemporary usages of Salvia apiana is through sage tea that decreases sweating, salivation, milk secretions, and mucous secretions of the sinuses, throat, and lungs. 

Salvia apiana has a unique appearance along with its unique features. The species is extremely important to the environmental ecosystem as well as represents a key aspect of culture. In particular, Salvia apiana has deep roots and influences in the lifeways and cultures of indigenous communities of the region that it naturally occurs in. The white sage species is a food source to bees, butterflies, and birds, all of whom share a mutualistic relationship as they too in return are pollinators of white sage. It provides many benefits to its surrounding environment, including nutritional, healing, medicinal, and pharmaceutical advantages. It has adapted to grow in changing environments, and its cultivation practices will change accordingly.  


Works Cited:
Douglas, D. 1985. "Salvia apiana Jeps." Plants of the World Online.
Salvia Apiana, White Sage. https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/604--salvia-apiana. Accessed 9 Mar. 2022.
Salvia Apiana White Sage or Bee Sage. https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/salapiana.htm. Accessed 9 Mar. 2022.
White Sage, Salvia Apiana. https://calscape.org/Salvia-apiana-(White-Sage)?srchcr=sc5dc62433e57e5. Accessed 9 Mar. 2022.