Plant · P-710

Golden Chia

Salvia columbariae

An annual sage grown for its edible seed - historically ground into flour or soaked to form a gelatinous drink by native peoples of the desert Southwest. Needs full sun and dry well-drained sandy to loamy soil; declines in shade or on waterlogged ground. Native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico in open disturbed ground coastal sage scrub and chaparral below roughly 1200 m elevation. Reseeds itself annually. Foliage carries a pungent skunk-like scent. Not the same species as commercial chia Salvia hispanica - a separate plant native to Mexico and Guatemala that shares the common name and seed use.