California sagebrush is a native subshrub with multiple stems arising from the root crown.
Leaves are seasonally dimorphic.
Slightly larger leaves attached to main branches or stems appear early. Side-shoots develop from the leaf axils of larger leaves on lower branches. Seedling density usually increases after growth and flowering of young plants. Inner Coast Range populations occur on shallow or droughty soils within a narrow margin between chaparral and desert or chaparral and semiarid annual grassland. Ninety percent of annual precipitation falls between November and April.