Chia
Salvia columbariae
Photographed in in Palm Canyon, California, taken March 2005 by Wikimedia User:Stan Shebs. Full resolution photo is hosted at Wikimedia where there are additional images of Salvia species.
FLOWERS: Deep blue-purple flowers are two-lipped and are clustered into
capitate inflorescences arranged in a verticle tier. Blooming mostly February
to April.
RANGE: Common throughout the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and also in the
Mojave and Chihuahuan Deserts; absent in drought years.
LEAVES: - Pinnately parted leaves have a crinkled texture and are mostly
basal - arranged around stem close to soil level.
SEEDS: Each flower produces four,
2 mm dia. nutlets as the ovary splits.
SPRING ANNUAL: Grows well especially in sandy washes to a height of
40 cm.
UNARMED.