California Chia

[William S.]

https://www.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/project/25

I just created an experimental farm network page for this.

Now I realized I've never talked about it here on the new forum.

I guess I consider this one of my top projects even though last year it was reduced to a few tiny unweeded volunteers.

Good chance for volunteers again this year. Would like to make and plant a new area, but not my top priority. Will probably plant at least a tiny patch though.

Basically I found out I could grow Salvia columbariae and Salvia carduacea here in Montana in 2016 when I brought home a seed packet of columbariae from my container garden at my apartment in California. Then I requested from USDA ARS GRIN and purchased just about all available germplasm in 2017.

Found lots of variation in Salvia columbariae.

Basically this is a native pollinator plant that produces edible and healthy seed and can be grown way outside of its range.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

William's Salvia columbariae also grows in my garden. It has not naturalized, because my cultivation practices do not favor naturalizing.