FNPS Plant Database

Salvia serotina

littlewoman, small white sage

Nomenclature

Common Name:

littlewoman, small white sage

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Salvia serotina

Family:

Lamiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Herb

Size:

To 16 in.

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

blue

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Blooms Mar.-Nov.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Specialty Provider

Propagation:

Seed

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding

Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Unknown

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Native Habitats:

Mesic hammocks, coastal strands, disturbed areas.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Has been used in traditional medicine for gastrointestinal problems, obstetrics and gynecology, colds and fevers, treating pink eye, and dermatological issues. One research study found that it had "potential applications in the development of effective therapies for type 2 diabetes."

General Comments:

Not widely cultivated. Native to Florida, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Mexico south through Panama, growing on moist ground and as a weed in cultivated fields.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Bartley, T., Reese, P., Turfus, S., & Alexander-Lindo, R. (2022). Validating the Hypoglycaemic and Hypotensive Roles of Salvia serotina (Chicken Weed) in Normal Healthy Sprague-Dawley Rats. The Scientific World Journal, 2022, 6547734. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6547734.) Accessed 2026.


Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (2025). Plant Database: Scientific name Littlewoman. ( https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SASE8 ). Accessed 2026. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.


Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve. (2026). Salvia serotina. ( https://levypreserve.org/plant-listings/salvia-serotina/ ) Accessed 2026. Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, Eleuthera, Bahamas.


Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. (2025). Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. ( https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/ ). University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.


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