True sages are sweet-smelling herbs or shrubs with highly textured, oppositely arranged leaves, like the common sage used in cooking (S. offiicinalis). There are many species native to California. Black sage is distinctive in being a shrub (with woody stems), no spines at the tips of the leaves and with stamens that are not longer than the flowering tube, and white to light blue flowers. The closely related Salvia brandegeei has narrow (linear) leaves with margins rolled under the edges. Munz's' sage (Salvia munzii) has leaves pointed at both the base and tips like black sage, but has dark blue flowers, and leaves are usually widest at the tips. If you're hiking in chaparral or in open Oak woodlands you're likely to find S. leucophylla (Purple Sage) which has reddish to purple colored flowers, dull-toothed leaf margins and pale-green to whitish leaf surfaces and anthers which extend well beyond the end of the floral tube.

Black sage is very sensitive to environmental factors, such as air pollution (especially sulfur dioxide). Consequently, they're considered to serve well as a biological indicator of air pollution in southern California. In highly polluted regions, the plants grow poorly. Many kinds of animals rely on black Sage for food. For example, woodrats store the leaves to eat during the winter. Other small mammals and some bird species eat the tiny seeds. Because black sage has a bitter taste and strong odor, most wild mammals and livestock find the leaves and stems to be highly unpalatable.