Strongly aromatic shrubby perennial herb. It grows up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. Most parts are densely grey-velvety and with short glandular hairs. It has alternately arranged leaves, which are (sub)sessile (without a leaf stalk). They are narrowly obovate-elliptic in shape and about 4.5 cm (2 in) long and 0.7 cm wide. They are velvety-grey on both leaf surfaces with a midrib prominent also on both surfaces. The margin is entire (smooth). It blooms between March and July. It has a capitula (a dense cluster of sessile or subsessile flowers) which are terminal (at the end) of 1-3 in the leaf axils. They more or less funnel-shaped and up to 1.3 cm long. The involucral scales (surround the flower head) are greyish glandular and hairy. The florets are purple with the central ray florets absent.[3]
Habitat
It is found growing in alkaline and sandy soils in dry wooded grassland or open woodland. It is often found in large amount growing along roadsides and disturbed areas.[3]
^Gibbs Russell, G. E., W. G. M. Welman, E. Retief, K. L. Immelman, G. Germishuizen, B. J. Pienaar, M. Van Wyk & A. Nicholas. 1987. List of species of southern African plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa 2(1–2): 1–152(pt. 1), 1–270(pt. 2).
^Tedder, Michelle; Morris, Craig; Kirkman, Kevin P.; Trollope, Westleigh Matthew; Bonyongo, Mpaphi Casper (December 2012). "The influence of Pechuel-Loeschea leubnitziae (wild sage) on grass sward and soil seed bank composition". African Journal of Range and Forage Science. 29 (3): 101–107. Bibcode:2012AJRFS..29..101T. doi:10.2989/10220119.2012.720280.
