Carried by 8 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Chia (Salvia columbariae) is a small annual sage with vivid blue-purple flowers that looks great mixed with California poppy. The leaves form a rosette at the base of the plant and flower stalks rise about one and a half feet. Flowers emerge in spring.
Plant from seed in fall, on a sunny slope or in well-drained soil. Seedlings emerge early in the rainy season and grow fast.
Annual herb
4 - 19 in Tall
1 ft Wide
Upright
Slight
Blue, Purple
Spring
Containers
Full Sun
Extremely Low, Very Low
Max 2x / month once established
Moderate
Fast, Medium, Slow
Prefers sandy, well drained soil but tolerates clay.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
For propagating by seed: No general recommendation possible as several ecotypes involved. Dry storage at 155°P for 6 mos.; then 1 mo. stratification gives 45-95% germination on seeds from five out of ten locations (Capon et al. 1978). Dry storage at 155°P for 1 wk. for desert-collected seeds gives good results (Capon and Van Asdall 1970). For specific treatments of seeds from 19 locations, see Capon and Brecht 1970. Addition of a small amount of charate over the sown seeds significantly improves germination (Keeley and Keeley 1982).
7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11, 12, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Typically arid or semi-arid places on coastal Bluffs and plains, foothills, mountains and deserts
Chaparral, Creosote Bush Scrub, Foothill Woodland
Works with many other annual and perennial plants depending on locations within the state. Near the coast it can be used with coastal sage scrub and chaparral plants. In mountainous areas it can be used in openings of woodlands and montane chaparral. In the central valley and arid areas it can be used in open, sandy gardens with any desert plants.
Butterflies and moths supported
2 confirmed and 10 likely
California Pyrausta Moth
Pyrausta californicalis
Volupial Pyrausta Moth
Pyrausta volupialis
Climbing Cutworm
Abagrotis orbis