White Sage
Salvia apiana
This herb has been over harvested for ceremonial
products. White sage is now on the United Plant Savers at-risk list. Growers
are needed to ensure the survival of this herb. This sage is quite different
than the common garden sage, S. officinalis, more known for its culinary
as well as medicinal use. White sage is rarely used internally, but more often
in ceremonies, and the bundles of sage are sometimes used with cedar to “smudge”
or to purify through exposure to smoke. Another plant with the common name
“white sage,” was also used medicinally and ceremonially by Native Americans,
but this plant is Artemisia ludoviciana, and more closely related to
mugwort, or Artemisia vulgaris, than to garden sage.
Family:
Lamiaceae
Life cycle:
Tender herbaceous perennial (Zones 8-11)
Native:
Southern California and
northern Baja regions.
Height:
12-24 inches
Sun:
Full sun.
Soil:
Well drained soil. Good
tolerance to hot, dry weather.
Water:
Low to moderate
Flowers:
Pale blue/purple flowers bloom in late summer.
Seeds:
Stratify seed for at least 1 week and then sow
indoors. Night time
temperature of 70 F and hot daytime temperatures between 80
and 90 F. Germination around 40% and will take 2- 3 weeks to germinate. Keep
evenly moist until seedlings are up and then cut back on watering . Do not over
water at this stage. Transplant out in late spring. Space 12 inches apart.
Pests:
No major pests observed.
Harvesting:
Harvest aerial parts in late summer.
Parts used:
Aerial parts, fresh or dried.
Used as:
Tincture, insect repellent, smudge stick,
incense.
Medicinal benefits:
Women’s health, digestive tract conditions,
respiratory illness, skin and throat conditions. Insect repellent. Not listed
in the Herbal PDR or many other herb books, so exercise caution before using
medicinally.
Market potential:
High. Prices range from $7.85 - $32.00.
KSU
Field Trial Data - 2000-2002.
|
WHITE SAGE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1st Year |
2nd Year |
3rd Year |
Average |
Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Location/Years |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
Survival (%) |
86.7 |
0.0 |
-- |
-- |
|
|
Vigor (rating) |
4.1 |
-- |
-- |
4.1 |
|
|
Height (cm) |
56.3 |
-- |
-- |
56.3 |
|
|
DW Herb (g/plant) |
99.5 |
-- |
-- |
|
|
|
DW Root (g/plant) |
21.4 |
-- |
-- |
|
|
|
Maturity (rating) |
1.0 |
-- |
-- |
1.0 |
|
|
Insect (rating) |
0.5 |
-- |
-- |
0.5 |
|
|
Disease (rating) |
0.6 |
-- |
-- |
0.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Est. planting
density |
21,780 |
|
|
|
Assume 1’ x 2’
spacing |
|
Plant density x
survival. |
18,883 |
|
|
|
|
|
kg/acre DW (g/plant
x # of plants - tops) |
1879 |
|
|
|
|
|
Est. Marketable
Yld
(DW lb/acre
tops) |
4139 |
|
|
|
|
|
Yld x ½ of “low”
price |
$16,266 |
|
|
|
|
|
Yld x ½ of “high”
price |
$66,224 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summary of
field trial data:
This
plant did very well the first year it was transplanted, with an 87% survival
rate and vigor rating of 4.1 on a 5 point scale. Above ground biomass was
also high, yielding an estimated 2 tons per acre, though we didn’t observe much
if any flowering in our test plots. Of the three sites tested, the least
successful was the drip irrigated field in Colby, indicating that this plant
prefers the dryland sites over the irrigated. None of the plants over-
wintered in Kansas, so though it is a perennial, it would need to be treated as
an annual crop here.
