Salvia clevelandii
Salvia clevelandii, the fragrant sage, blue sage, Jim sage and Cleveland sage, is a perennial plant that is native to Southern California and northern Baja California, growing below elevation in California coastal sage and chaparral habitat. The plant was named in 1874 by Asa Gray, honoring plant collector Daniel Cleveland. Description. "Salvia clevelandii" is an evergreen shrub that reaches in height and width. The fragrant, ashy green leaves are obovate and rugose, growing less than long. Flowers are on spikes, with numerous whorls of upright amethyst blooms opening in June–July. Phytochemistry. The rose potpourri scented foliage of  hybrids is composed of camphor and 1,8-cineole. Named cultivars with a eucalyptus scent also contain around 20% 1,8-cineole. Taxonomy. This species was described in 1874 as "Audibertia clevelandii" (the basionym) by Asa Gray, named in honor of Daniel Cleveland. Cleveland was an amateur botanist and civic leader from San Diego, who had taken an interest in the local flora and fauna, sending his collections to Gray over a 20-year correspondence. In the wild, this species may hybridize with "Salvia apiana" and "Salvia mellifera". Distribution and habitat. This species is found throughout portions of Southern California and northwestern  Baja California, in chaparral and coastal sage scrub. It is distributed along the coast of San Diego County, the Peninsular Ranges of San Diego and Orange counties, and in northwestern Baja California, from the border to the northern portion of the Central Desert in the southern Sierra de San Pedro Martir. Cultivation. "Salvia clevelandii" is a popular Southwest USA landscape plant, cultivated since the 1940s. Plants prefer dry summers, good drainage, and tolerate full sun in cooler areas. As a landscape plant they have a relatively short life span of five to ten years. They are hardy to . Cultivars and  hybrids include: "Salvia clevelandii" is one of the parents of the hybrid "Salvia" 'Celestial Blue'.