Desert Sage, Gray Ball Sage
Salvia dorrii var. pilosa
Color: Purple
Common name: Desert sage, Gray Ball Sage
Latin name: Salvia dorrii var. pilosa
Family: LAMIACEAE
Height: 1-2 feet
Description: Clusters of 2-lipped flowers arrange themselves in balls on the stem.
Leaf: The 4–32 mm linear to spoon-shaped blue-gray leaf is widest 1–15 mm from base, abruptly narrowed to stalk
Range: n Mojave Desert, s High Sierra Nevada (e slope), Tehachapi Mountain Area, Great Basin Floristic Province
Habitat: Desert slopes, washes Elevation: 900–1900 m.
Flowering time: May-Jul
Notes: Salvia dorrii var. pilosa, a dicot, is a shrub that is native to California. This photo was taken April 24, 2004 in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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The Desert Environment
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