Salvia hispanica, one of several related species commonly known as chia (), is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is considered a pseudocereal, cultivated for its edible, hydrophilic chia seed, grown and commonly used as food in several countries of western South America, western Mexico, and the southwestern United States.
Description
Chia is an annual herb growing up to 1.75 metres (5 feet 9 inches) tall, with opposite leaves that are
Chia leaves
Typically, the seeds are small ovals with a diameter around 1 mm (1⁄32 in). They are mottle-colored, with brown, gray, black, and white. The seeds are hydrophilic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked. While soaking, the seeds develop a mucilaginous coating that gives chia-based beverages a distinctive gelatinous texture.
Many plants cultivated as S. hispanica are in fact S. officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia (syn. S. lavandulifolia).
Etymology
The word chia is derived from the Nahuatl word chian, meaning 'oily'.
Other plants known as chia include Salvia columbariae, which is sometimes called "golden chia", Salvia polystachia, and Salvia tiliifolia.
Distribution and habitat
Chia is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is hardy from USDA Zones 9–12.
Cultivation
Chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico and Guatemala, as well as Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, northwestern Argentina, parts of Australia, and the southwestern United States. New patented varieties of chia have been bred in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States.
It is grown commercially for its seed, a food rich in omega-3 fatty acids since the seeds yield 25–30% extractable oil, including α-linolenic acid. Typical composition of the fat of the oil is 55% ω-3, 18% ω-6, 6% ω-9, and 10% saturated fat.
