White sage

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White sage flowers

White sage

White sage

White sage flowers

White sage

White sage

White sage

White sage inflorescence

White sage

White sage

White sage leaves

White sage

Morphology

Stem

Erect, slender, 1 to few, simple or short-branched above, white-woolly.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, sessile, variable in shape, linear to narrowly lanceolate or elliptic, 1 to 5 inches long, up to 1/2 inch wide (excluding lobes), reduced above; margins entire or tips toothed or lobed; upper surface green to white-woolly, lower surface white-woolly.

Inflorescence

Panicles of heads; panicles leafy, elongate, 4 to 20 inches long, vary from dense and compact to loose and somewhat open.

Flower

Inconspicuous, whitish to yellowish; involucral bracts 10-15, in 2 series, white-woolly; ray florets 6-12, very short, pistillate; disk florets 5-12, slightly longer, perfect.

Fruit

Achenes, elliptical, brown, glabrous, smooth; pappus absent; seed 1.

Ecology

Habitat

Open prairies, open woods, disturbed sites, and roadsides.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Forage Value

Livestock derive little forage value from white sage.

Uses

Native Americans used white sage in ceremonies and for purification rituals. They used the crushed leaves to treat headaches, nosebleeds, and sinus difficulties; applied chewed leaves to insect stings, spider bites, and blisters; and used the leaves as toilet paper and as a foot and underarm deodorant. White sage was also used to treat coughs, stomach ailments, wounds on horses, and was burned to repel mosquitoes.

Additional Notes