Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Salazaria mexicana, commonly known by variants on bladder sage or paperbag bush, is a shrub of the mint family Lamiaceae distinctive for its calyx lobes that develop into small bag- or bladder-like shells around the fruits. Widespread in the southwestern part of North America, it is the only member of its genus. This plant takes the form of a rounded shrub, typically 50-100 centimeter high, sometimes larger. The stems form a spreading rigid pattern, with the tips often becoming spine-like. The leaves are small, 3-15 millimeter long and 2-8 millimeter wide, ovate to elliptic, entire, and with a very short or nonexistent petiole. The 2-lipped flowers develop in pairs facing away from each other; the upper lip is white to light violet and hairy, while the lower lip is 3-lobed and intense dark violet. The calyx starts out as simply a base to the flower, reddish-purple in shade, and then as the flower ages, it expands into its distinctive bag shape, 1-2 centimeter across, the dried flower eventually falling out of the hole in the end.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

2 - 3 ft Tall

Calscape icon
Color

White, Purple

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil drainage

Fast

Sunset Zones

7, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 13, 14*, 15, 16, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23

Site type

Sandy gravelly slopes, washes,

Plant communities

Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree Woodland