Hummingbird sage

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) is an annual plant with magenta flowers. Its leaves are highly aromatic when crushed, and the plant is attractive to hummingbirds, as its common name suggests.

Unlike most sages, this one does not branch, but rather forms single flowering stalks. The flowers vary from hot pink to magenta.

The Hummingbird sage is a common native plant in the California coast ranges between the Santa Lucias on the north and the Santa Monica Mountains on the south, and generally is found in association with oaks, in moist soils not far from the ocean.