Black Sage

Black sage is a coastal shrub that is seasonally dimorphic, so it has two types of leaves it cycles through throughout the year: large leaves during the rainy winter and small, curled leaves during dry spells. Those curls minimize the surface area of the summer leaves, making them well-adapted at reducing transpiration and water loss. A drought-resistant and/or heat-resistant innovation can take inspiration from that strategy of reducing surface area.

The shrub also secretes a specialized terpene compound, protective aromatic hydrocarbons widely used by many plant species. For the black sage, chemicals inhibit the growth of other plants. A synthetic compound inspired by this may offer a biodegradable alternative to herbicides. It could also potentially serve as an environmentally friendly way to prevent the spread of invasive plants.

Source:
https://naturecollective.org/plant-guide/details/black-sage/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9054867/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3382373/