Salvia apiana Shrubland Alliance
White sage scrub
White sage scrub
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormShrub
- Elevation300-1600 m
- State RarityS3
- Global RarityG4
- DistributionUSA: CA. Mexico (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added1995/11/01
Characteristic Species
Salvia apiana is dominant or co-dominant in the shrub canopy with Artemisia californica, Diplacus aurantiacus, Encelia farinosa, Ericameria spp., Eriogonum fasciculatum, Hesperoyucca whipplei, Isocoma menziesii, Malacothamnus fasciculatus, Malosma laurina and Rhus spp.
Vegetation Layers
Most shrubs < 2 m, some < 0.5 m; canopy is intermittent to continuous and two tiered.
Herbaceous layer is variable.
Membership Rules
- Salvia apiana > 50% relative cover in the shrub canopy (Evens and San 2005, Klein and Evens 2005, Dixon et al. 2019).
- Salvia apiana and Artemisia californica occur together as the two most important shrub species in the stand (Dixon et al. 2019).
Habitats
Dry slopes, benches, and rarely flooded low-gradient deposits along streams. Soils are shallow, coarse loams.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
| MCV (1995) | White sage series |
| NVCS (2009) | Salvia apiana shrubland alliance |
| Calveg | Sage, California sagebrush |
| Holland | Venturan coastal sage scrub, Diegan coastal sage scrub, Riversidian upland sage scrub, Alluvial fan chaparral |
| Munz | Coastal sage scrub |
| WHR | Coastal scrub |
| CDFW CA Code | 32.030.00 |
National Vegetation Classification Hierarchy
| Formation Class | Mesomorphic Shrub and Herb Vegetation (Shrubland and Grassland) |
| Formation Subclass | Mediterranean Scrub and Grassland |
| Formation | Mediterranean Scrub |
| Division | California Scrub |
| Macro Group | California Coastal Scrub |
| Group | Central and South Coastal Californian coastal sage scrub |
Remarks
Salvia apiana is an aromatic, rounded, or rangy shrub with a canopy to about 2 m tall, the inflorescences to about 1.5 m above the foliage, and roots to 1.5 m in depth (Montalvo 2002c). Shrubs have aromatic, whitish to pale gray-green leaves, some of which persist throughout the year. Held vertically, leaves fold up during drought, and many drop late in the dry season. Leaves may contain essential oils and other chemicals that deter herbivores. Flowers bloom in the cool season, and they are a rich source of nectar for native and introduced bees. Gravity, harvester ants, and seed caching rodents disperse the seeds. Seedlings emerge in the cool season and take 2 years or more to reach maturity. Seedling establishment occurs in gaps among the shrubs (Montalvo 2002c).
Salvia apiana hybridizes with other shrubby Salvia species within its range, and the S. apiana x S. mellifera hybrid occurs now and then, but never enough to dominate a stand. Where their ranges overlap, S. mellifera tends to occur in flatter and wetter microsites, whereas S. apiana takes on drier, well-drained slopes. Hybrids also occur in recently disturbed areas.
Stands of Salvia apiana alliance occur on coastal mountain slopes and benches, sometimes on alluvial fans, well inland in the Peninsular and Transverse ranges. Rundel (2007) uses the term “interior sage scrub” to categorize the vegetation commonly including this alliance. At semi-desert localities or extremely xeric, well-drained sites, stands shift to the Eriogonum fasciculatum alliance and may also be associated with the Encelia farinosa alliance.
Salvia apiana hybridizes with other shrubby Salvia species within its range, and the S. apiana x S. mellifera hybrid occurs now and then, but never enough to dominate a stand. Where their ranges overlap, S. mellifera tends to occur in flatter and wetter microsites, whereas S. apiana takes on drier, well-drained slopes. Hybrids also occur in recently disturbed areas.
Stands of Salvia apiana alliance occur on coastal mountain slopes and benches, sometimes on alluvial fans, well inland in the Peninsular and Transverse ranges. Rundel (2007) uses the term “interior sage scrub” to categorize the vegetation commonly including this alliance. At semi-desert localities or extremely xeric, well-drained sites, stands shift to the Eriogonum fasciculatum alliance and may also be associated with the Encelia farinosa alliance.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
| Salvia apiana | |
|---|---|
| Life forms | Shrub; drought deciduous |
| Seed storage | Soil |
| Seed longevity | Long |
| Mode of dispersal | Animal; gravity |
| Germination agents | None |
| Mode of sprouting | Underground structures |
| Survivability after fire/disturbance | Fire-sensitive to fire-hardy; no/low sprouter to high sprouter (varies geographically) |
| Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
| Reproductive range | 2-50 years |
| Recruitment | Variable |
| Regional variation | High |
Fire Characteristics
Shrubs often sprout following fire from lignotubers, but fire kills year-old seedlings. Seedlings emerge from the seed bank in the first season after fire, but reported densities are low. However, high-intensity fires kill seeds, and repeated burning kills mature plants (Montalvo 2002c).
| Fire return interval | Medium (15-70+ years) |
| Seasonality | Late summer-fall |
| Size/extent | Medium to large; up to or beyond stand size |
| Complexity | Low to moderate |
| Intensity | Low to moderate |
| Severity | High to very high |
| Type | Active-independent crown fire |
| Regional knowledge | Southern California |
Regional Status
- Central California Coast Ranges (M262A). None
- Southern California Coast (261Bb, Be-i). Stands in the Santa Monica Mountains (Keeler-Wolf and Evens 2006) and in San Diego Co. (Evens and San 2005) are either pure or mixed with Eriogonum fasciculatum. Stands are common on Santa Catalina Island (Dixon et al. 2019).
- Southern California Mountains and Valleys (M262Ba-d, Bf-g, Bj-l, Bn-p). Stands at Cahuilla Mountain, King Creek, and Millard Canyon RNAs (Cheng 2004), Etiwanda Canyon, the upper Santa Ana River (Hanes et al. 1989), northern San Diego Co. (Evens and San 2005), and western Riverside Co. (Klein and Evens 2005) are from the Transverse and Peninsular ranges.
Management Considerations
Salvia apiana is decreasing in the wildlands (Minnich and Dezzani 1998) with the presence of invasive nonnative grasses and the resulting increased fire frequencies. Successful restoration must create conditions where shrubs can establish, mature, and develop seed banks (Montalvo 2002c). Because this alliance occurs at relatively low slope positions at lower elevations, it has been cleared from many alluvial fans and bajadas throughout its geographic range.
Associations
- Salvia apiana [4], [6], [7], [8]
- Salvia apiana - Artemisia californica [1], [2], [3], [5], [6], [7]
- Salvia apiana - Encelia farinosa [5]
- Salvia apiana - Hesperoyucca whipplei [2]
References
- [1] DeSimone, S.A.;Burk, J.H. 1992
- [2] Evens, J.;San, S. 2005
- [3] AECOM, 2013
- [4] Buck-Diaz, J.;Evens, J.M. 2015
- [5] Klein, A.;Evens, J. 2005
- [6] Sproul, F.;Keeler-Wolf, T.;Gordon-Reedy, P.;Dunn, J.;Klein, A.;Harper, K. 2011
- [7] Dixon, P. 2019
- [8] Reyes, E.;Glass, A.;Johnson, D.;Sikes, K. 2020b
- Gordon, H.J.;White, T.C. 1994
- Keeler-Wolf, T.;Evens, J. 2006