White sage, Salvia apiana, is native to coastal areas of southern California and northern Baja California. Leaves and stems of white sage are ceremonially burned in many indigenous communities, and the plant has additional culinary and medicinal importance. While white sage is not endangered, over-harvest of wild sage is of concern for conservation efforts. Propagation of white sage is generally accomplished by seed; however, germination is poor with rates ranging from 10 to 25 percent. This project evaluated application of heat and smoke treatment for their impact on germination. Temperature and time of exposure were found to significantly impact germination with treatment at 70C and 85C leading to increased germination at 21 days. Application of smoke originating from charcoal and burned sage did not impact rate of germination in seed not exposed to heat treatments.
