discovery
Long before the Mystery Ranch was known by that name, Kim came across the mysterious sage plant not too far from the main cabin. The plant seemed very similar to Salvia dorii, (known as purple sage), but with unusual white blossoms and green calyces unlike any of the other sage plants she’d seen in the area. No answers emerged even after pouring over several native plant books including the Jepson Manual.
A unique manifestation of Salvia dorii.
An up close look at the mystery sage.
Specimen collection by the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
mojave desert land trust
Kim connected with the Mojave Desert Land Trust at a California Native Plant Society conference in 2018, and working together they confirmed that the mysterious white sage was indeed a previously unrecorded unique manifestation of Salvia dorii. The MDLT team has collected a few specimens from the main plant for their native plant nursery, Mojave plant seed bank and specimen herbarium in the hopes of being able to propagate and cultivate the plant in the future.