This
information courtesy of the Colorado Natural Areas Program
Family:
Lamiaceae (Mint)
Other
Names: African
sage
USDA Code:
SAAE
Legal
Status: Colorado
Noxious Weed List A
Identification
Lifecycle:
Biennial
or short-lived perennial
Growth
form: Forb
Flower:
Flowers are two-lipped, yellowish-white and born in a
candelabra-like inflorescence.
Seeds/Fruit:
Each
flower develops four nutlets that are smooth with dark
veins.
Leaves:
First-year
rosette leaves are large, grayish, and woolly. Lower stem
leaves have stalks are lobed, with coarsely-toothed blades
0.3-1 foot long. Upper stem leaves are smaller and clasp the
stem.
Stems:
Mature
plants are 2-3 feet tall and highly branched above.
Roots:
No information available.
Seedling:
No
information available.
Similar
Species
Exotics:
Meadow sage (S. pratensis) resembles Mediterranean
sage, but usually has blue flowers, and is more coarsely
hairy.
Natives:
No information available.
Impacts
Agricultural:
It
is unpalatable to grazing animals and it reduces the amount
of forage available for livestock.
Ecological:
Mediterranean
sage spreads rapidly into disturbed pasture, rangeland,
meadows, and other open areas.
Habitat
and Distribution
General
requirements: Mediterranean
sage usually invades disturbed pasture, rangeland, meadows,
riparian areas, along roadsides, and other open areas. It
prefers well-drained soils and dry conditions. In the
western states, Mediterranean sage grows in sagebrush steppe
and ponderosa pine zones.
Distribution:
In Colorado, Mediterranean sage is currently found only in
Boulder County. It is also found in Pacific coastal states.
Historical:
Mediterranean
sage is a native of the Mediterranean and northern Africa.
Biology/Ecology
Life
cycle:
Mediterranean sage is a biennial that produces a large
rosette the first year. During the second year, the plant
bolts, producing multi-branched stems with white to
blue-green, woolly, felt-like leaves. Plants flower from
June to August. During the hottest part of the summer, the
plant becomes dormant (Roché and Wilson 1999).
Mode of
reproduction: Mediterranean
sage reproduces solely by seed.
Seed
production:
A single plant may produce thousands of seeds
Dispersal:
Seeds
are spread easily because the mature plant forms a
tumbleweed (Whitson et al. 1996).
Integrated
Management Summary
The
tumbleweed nature of this plant allows it to distribute seed
efficiently over a large area, so preventing seed dispersal
is a key factor in controling Mediterranean sage. As with
other plants which reproduce solely by seed, integrated
management efforts must include the elimination of seed
production and the depletion of the seed bank. Combine
herbicide or mechanical removal of rosettes with removal of
seed heads from any plants that have bolted.
References
Calweed
Database. 1997. California Noxious Weed Control Projects
Inventory. Natural Resource Projects Inventory,
Information Center for the Environment, University of
California, Davis. Available: http://endeavor.des.ucdavis.edu/weeds/
Roché,
C.T. and L.M. Wilson. 1999. Mediterranean sage. In: R.L.
Sheley and J.K. Petroff (eds.). Biology and management
of noxious rangeland weeds. Oregon State University
Press, Corvallis. pg. 261-270.
Whitson,
T.D.(ed.), L.C. Burrill, S.A. Dewey, D.W. Cudney, B.E.
Nelson, R.D. Lee, R. Parker. 1996. Mediterranean sage. Weeds
of the West. Western Society of Weed Science, in
cooperation with the Western United States Land Grant
Universities Cooperative Extension Services, Newark CA.
pg. 368.
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