Where are Sage Plants Commonly Found?

Natives and Imports

• There are about 50 species of salvia native to the U.S. and another 20 or so that are imports but have escaped from cultivation and are now found in the wild. Two garden favorites, scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) and pineapple sage (S. elegans) are imports. Scarlet sage is originally from Brazil and pineapple sage comes from Mexico and Guatemala. Find them growing in hot, sandy soils in open areas and thickets from South Carolina, south to Florida and west to Texas.

Southeastern Sages

• Several native sages make their homes in the southeast from South Carolina, south to Florida and west to Texas. These include native scarlet sage (S. coccinea) and mealy cup sage (S. farinacea).

Southwestern Sages

• Many sages prefer the hot climate of southern and western Texas, sometimes growing as far south as Mexico and westward into New Mexico and Arizona and California. Look for them on rocky slopes and in rocky or sandy soils. They include autumn sage (S. greggii) and mountain or royal sage (Salvia regla).

Further North

• Azure sage (S. azurea) and a few others grow in the southeast as well as the center of the U.S. from Texas to Minnesota and Nebraska. These sages are native to prairies, plains, pastures, meadows, savannas and open parts of woodlands.