Botanical name: Salvia hispanica    Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Synonyms: Salvia chia, Salvia schiedeana

Chia is an annual herb growing up to 5 feet or more tall, with opposite, ovate leaves that are 4-8 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. Its flowers are purple or white and are produced in numerous clusters in a spike at the end of each stem. Typically, the seeds are small ovals with a diameter around 1 mm. 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. Chia is native to Mexico to Guatemala, cultivated elsewhere.

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The flower labeled Chia is ...