Salvia columbariae – “California Chia”

Also Known As: Chia, Chia Sage, Golden Chia, Desert Chia, Blue Desert Dagga, Pashí (in Tongva), It’epeš (in Ventureño)
Family: Mint (Lamiaceae a.k.a. Labiatae)
Bloom Period: Mar-Jun
Form: Annual herb
Habitat: Sandy and gravelly soils washes
Leaves: Oblong to ovate, pinnately dissected, bumpy due to sunken veins; mostly basal
Translation: “Salvia” is a Latin name for an herb used for healing (think “salve”); “columbariae” is derived from a Latin word meaning “dove-like,” and how that relates to this plant is mysterious.
Notes: The famous “chia” of terra cotta pets and natural food stores is another species, Salvia hispanica (a.k.a. “Spanish Chia”). California Chia grows at a greater range of altitude – from sea level to 7000 feet (2100 m) – than any other species in the Salvia genus in California.
Native American Uses: An important food source to many Native American tribes, including the Cahuilla, Ohlone, Kumeyaay, Kawaiisu, Luiseño, Mahuna, Mojave, Paiute, Tohono O’odham, Pima, Tübatulabal, and Yavapai. After beating the dried flower heads in baskets to remove the seeds, they made a variety of different beverages and flours and porridges. Sand in the eyes and the accompanying irritation is a common problem in the desert, and the Cahuilla, Ohlone, Kawaiisu and Mahuna all used the seeds to clean out the eyes, since they become gelatinous when moistened. The Ohlone took an infusion of the seeds for fevers. The Kumeyaay chewed them on long foot journeys to keep up stamina. The Mahuna tribe manufactured a fiber from the plant material and used it as a covering on their dwellings.
Animal Associations: Seeds eaten by many wild animals. Nectar source for Clark’s Sphinx moth.