Germander Sage
Salvia chamaedryoides
Family: Lamiaceae
Sprawling shrub growing usually about 2’ tall and reaching 3-4’ wide eventually with creeping rhizomes. Cobalt blue flowers in warm weather.
Grow in full to part sun, with moderate water, hardy to well below 0° F.
Hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators use this plant. Probably a larval host for several moth species.
There are 1045 species of Salvia all over the world. The genus name Salvia comes from the name used by Pliny for common sage (Salvia officinalis) and comes from the Latin word 'salvere' meaning "to save" in reference to the long-believed healing properties of several Sage species. The species name, chamaedryoides, name comes from being like germander, Teucrium chamaedrys, because of the similarity between these plants’ spreading rhizomatic nature.
Native to the high desert, 6900–9000ft, of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in Mexico.
Photo of the plant in habitat, Sierra Corral de los Bandidos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, photo by Carlos G Velazco-Macias
Photo of the plant in cultivation with typical shape, photo by Mountain States Wholesale Nursery