Flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and many other nectar-seeking insects. Moth larval food plant for the Alfalfa Looper Moth (Autographa californica), Bilobed Looper Moth (Megalographa biloba), Virginian Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Wavy-Lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), the geometrid Pherne subpunctata, and the plume moth (Anstenoptilia marmarodactyla).

Cahuilla women drank an infusion of white sage roots after giving birth to remove the afterbirth and promote internal healing. White sage seeds were eaten by the Cahuilla to cure colds. The DiegueÒo used white sage tea for this purpose. Leaves of white sage were smoked, made into a tea, and used in sweathouses to cure colds. White sage leaves were also used by the DiegueÒo as a shampoo to clean their hair and to keep it from turning gray. Crushed leaves were rubbed on the body to eliminate body odor; this was often done by Cahuilla men before they went hunting. The smoke from burning white sage is used widely by many Native groups as part of their purification ceremonies. White sage is widely valued and cherished among many Indians and other cultures today, prized for its soft "feminine" qualities.White sage seeds were one component in pinole (mixed with grains and nuts), which was a staple food of the Indians of the Pacific coast.

This species has a long history of medicinal and ceremonial use. Unfortunately, the economic pressures (the popularity of the smudge sticks) on this species has caused excessive wild-harvesting of the plants. We recommend you always make sure the source of smudge sticks is farmed, not wild harvested.

There are 1045 species of Salvia all over the world. The genus name, salvia, comes from the Latin word salvia, which is related to the Latin words salvus (safe, healthy, secure) and salvēre (to heal, to feel healthy). The name refers to the medicinal properties of some plants in the genus. The species name, apiana, means of or belonging to bees.

Occurs on dry slopes in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and yellow-pine forests of southern California to Baja California at less 4,900 ft.