Taxon Report

Salvia greatae Bdg.

Orocopia sage

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Salvia greatae, commonly known as Orocopia sage, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Lamiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from -40 to 825 meters. Salvia greatae is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Salvia greatae Bdg.
Common Name:	Orocopia sage
Family:	Lamiaceae
Element Code:	PDLAM1S0P0
USDA Plants Symbol:	SAGR3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Mar-Apr	Mar-Apr
Elevation:	-40-825 (-130-2705)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub, Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2G3
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	25
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	6
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	18

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP), Riverside (RIV)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Durmid (3311547), Durmid SE (3311537), Frink (3311536), Frink NW (3311546), Mortmar (3311558), Orocopia Canyon (3311557), Red Canyon (3311556)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	10	40 %
ORV activity	9	36%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	7	28%
Military operations	6	24%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	4%
Other	1	4%

Notes



SBD Co. report is questionable. See Zoe 5:229 (1906) for original description, and Phytologia 71(3):167-170 (1991) for nomenclatural correction.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 25 October 2025].