Salvia funerea – “Death Valley Sage”

Also Known As: Wooly Sage
Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-May
Form: Perennial shrub
Habitat: Dry washes and canyons
Leaves: Ovate, tipped with a spine, plus a pair of lateral spines, covered with wooly hairs; deciduous; opposite
Translation: “Salvia” is a Latin name for an herb used for healing (think “salve”); “funerea” refers to the Funeral Mountains of Death Valley.
Notes: Grows almost exclusively in and around Death Valley. A small population can also be found in the Bristol Mountains near Amboy. Listed on the California Native Plant Society’s Rare Plant Inventory.