General: Chia (Salvia columbariae) is an upright annual forb with erect flowering stalks. The flowers are purple and are clustered into spiky balls borne along and atop stalks.

Chia is a fairly common component of desert vegetation communities in sandy washes and gravel slopes. Around Las Vegas, look for this species in Death Valley, Lake Mead, the Mojave National Preserve, and other desert areas.

Family: Mint (Lamiaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Upright annual forb with flowers borne on and along stalks.

Height: To about 2 feet, usually shorter.

Stems: Many, erect.

Leaves: Basal, to about 5–inches long, oblong; pinnately dissected with irregular lobes; bristly.

Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Inflorescence is a spherical cluster of flowers and bracts. Flowers small and purplish.

Seeds:

Habitat: Widespread in arid areas from the coast to the deserts.

Elevation: To about 3,000 feet.

Distribution: California to Utah and Arizona.

Comments: This is not your "chia pet."