Carried by 27 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
A species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family, Pitcher Sage or Woodbalm is endemic to California, where it is a common plant in several different habitat types, including the chaparral plant community. It is found along the central coast from Mendocino County to Ventura County, as well as portions of the Coast Ranges and Sierra foothills. This is an aromatic shrub with parts of its bark covered in long hairs, some of which have resin glands in them. The leaves are lance-shaped to roughly oval and are sometimes toothed along the edges. The shrub flowers in loose raceme clusters. Each flower is encased in a cuplike calyx of sepals which are green when new and age to reddish purple. The somewhat cylindrical corolla of the flower is white to light lavender and is rolled back at the tip into four small lips and one longer lip. The tiny fruit is rounded, dark in color, and slightly hairy. The Miwok, a Native American group of California, used an extract of the leaves of this plant to treat fever and headache.
Shrub
5 - 8 ft Tall
3 - 6 ft Wide
Evergreen
Pleasant
White
Spring
Hedge
Partial Shade, Full Sun
Low, Moderate
Max 3x / month once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to -5° F
Fast
Prefers well drained soil.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.0
For propagating by seed: Hot water treatment, then 3 mos. stratification may improve germination.
7*, 8, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Rocky slopes, canyons and ridges
Chaparral, Foothill Woodland
Use with Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Ceanothus spp., Giant Chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), Summer Holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia), Dogwood (Cornus spp.), Tree Poppy (Dendromecon rigida), Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.), Flannelbush (Fremontodendron californicum), Coast Silktassel (Garrya elliptica), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Bush Mallow (Malacothamnus spp.), Sticky Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus), Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), Cherry (Prunus spp.), Oak (Quercus spp.), Currant (Ribes spp.), and Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum)
Butterflies and moths supported
1 confirmed and 1 likely
Anoncia Sphacelina
Anoncia sphacelina