Pitcher Sage, Big Blue Sage, Giant Blue Sage, Blue Sage
Family:
Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map
Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Herbaceous
Height
3
to
6
ft.
Spread
2
to
3
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained
Light Requirement
Sun, Part Shade
Water Requirement
Low
Native Habitat
Grassland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
White, Blue
Bloom Season
Fall
Seasonal Interest
Nectar, Pollen
Wildlife Benefit
Hummingbirds, Bees
Maintenance
Grows well in perennial garden or shortgrass meadow. Cut back in mid summer or stake to keep from sprawling. Easy to grow from seed. Requires extra water its first year to establish. Propagation: Seed.
Comments
Blooms July-November. Widespread perennial of the grasslands, Tall plant with large, 2-lipped, blue flowers, forming a terminal spike-like cluster. Pollination: Bumblebees, bees.
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 206. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAAZ. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=13657&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=32699#null