Russian sage

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Salvia yangii

Introduced low-water garden perennial. N-russian-sage C-russian-sage

Spreads by suckers; pet evidence unresolved. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: NC State uses Salvia yangii; older Colorado guidance uses Perovskia atriplicifolia. The older statement that this plant is outside Salvia is outdated. Culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) safety claims do not apply automatically.

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for People, Dogs & cats. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

Salvia yangii: Gray-green deeply divided leaves arranged in opposite pairs on a pale stem. — **leaf** — Gray-green deeply divided leaves arranged in opposite pairs on a pale stem.
Doronenko · CC BY 2.5
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Perovskia atriplicifolia is the synonym used on these source pages. Garden photographs do not establish cultivar identity or exclude hybrid ancestry; captions use the source-identified species.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Salvia yangii: Small violet-blue flowers with pale hairy calyces cluster around a slender flowering stem. — **flower** — Small violet-blue flowers with pale hairy calyces cluster around a slender flowering stem.
AnRo0002 · CC0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Perovskia atriplicifolia is the synonym used on these source pages. Garden photographs do not establish cultivar identity or exclude hybrid ancestry; captions use the source-identified species.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Salvia yangii: Many pale branched stems with deeply cut gray-green leaves and scattered violet-blue flowers form a loose leafy clump. — **habit** — Many pale branched stems with deeply cut gray-green leaves and scattered violet-blue flowers form a loose leafy clump.
David J. Stang · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source page scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination. Perovskia atriplicifolia is the synonym used on these source pages. Garden photographs do not establish cultivar identity or exclude hybrid ancestry; captions use the source-identified species.
Wikimedia server-resized derivative; no crop, color change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

A woody-based perennial with silvery, aromatic, finely divided leaves and airy purple flower spikes. The stems are square. N-russian-sage

Plants & habitat

An introduced plant suited to sunny, well-drained Colorado gardens. Shoots can spread beyond the original clump by suckers; remove unwanted shoots and allow room at bed edges. C-russian-sage E-sage-suckers

Evidence scope: Horticultural evidence; county extension advice.

People

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for people. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Dogs & cats

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Other animals

Flowers attract pollinators. Reported deer and rabbit resistance is not evidence of livestock or pet feeding safety. N-russian-sage

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

References

N-russian-sage — Russian sage (Salvia yangii), NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:57:24+00:00. Locator: Description, synonyms, native range, wildlife value.
C-russian-sage — 1050: Russian Sage, Colorado State University Extension / PlantTalk. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:57:25+00:00. Locator: Colorado garden use; taxonomy sentence is outdated relative to NC State.
E-sage-suckers — Russian Sage Suckers, Ask Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:57:24+00:00. Locator: Expert response on sucker growth.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.

Content revised 2026-09-07 02:43:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.