230  Chia  and  Allied  Specie^i  of  Salvia.  {^'^may\»»r"' 
psyllium  seeds^  which  they  much  rcseuible ;  uuder  the  magnifyiug- 
glass  they  still  more  resemble  very  small  ricinus  seeds  in  shape  as  well 
as  in  their  glossy  and  gray,  mottled  with  brown,  coat,  and  by  which 
resemblance  they  are  easily  recognized.  When  immersed  in  water,, 
they  are  quickly  surrounded,  the  same  as  psyllium  seeds,  by  a  mucila- 
ginous layer,  similar  to  gum  tragacanth,  which,  wdth  the  aid  of  heat,  is- 
divided  or  dissolved  in  water,  forming  a  very  soothing  drink,  which 
is  neither  insipid  nor  of  a  disagreeable  taste,  and  is  therefore  well 
adapted,  without  any  other  addition,  to  be  habitually  used  as  a  beverage 
for  the  sick.  I  believe  that  the  seeds  of  quince  and  of  psyllium  could 
be  employed  in  the  same  manner.  Chia  seeds  sown  at  the  ecole  de 
pharmamie  produced  plants  having  a  quadrangular  stem,  35  centimeters 
high  and  nearly  smooth  in  all  its  parts ;  the  leaves  are  opposite  and 
regularly  5  centimeters  apart ;  the  petioles  are  slender,  4  to  6  centi- 
meters long;  the  leaves  are  rather  thin,  oval-lanceolate,  regularly 
toothed,  the  largest  being  10  centimeters  long  and  6  centimeters  broad. 
In  the  axil  of  each  leaf  a  small  slender  branch  was  produced,  which 
did  not  develop,  the  plant  perishing  before  producing  flowers.  The 
figure  given  by  Gsertner  of  the  small  fruit  of  Salvia  hispancia  agrees 
completely  with  chia  seed ;  but  Gsertner  places  this  species  among  those 
having  no  mucilaginous  fruit,  and  cites  as  having  mucilaginous  fruit,s 
Salvia  verbenaca,  disermas,  argentea,  ceratophylla,  ^ethiopis,  urticifolia,, 
canariensis,  etc." 
In  nearly  all  other  works  on  materia  medica  chia  is  not  mentioned^ 
or  if  enumerated  it  is  doubtfully  referred  to  Salvia  hispaniea ;  but 
Wiggers,  as  well  as  Dorvault,  gives  this  species  positively  as  the 
origin.  However,  aside  from  the  statement  of  Gsertner  as  to  the  non- 
mucilaginous  properties  of  its  fruit,  its  stem  and  leaves  do  not  corres- 
pond with  the  description  given  above  by  Guibourt.  Thus  DeCan- 
dolle  in  Prodromus,  vol.  xii,  page  308,  enumerates  the  following^ 
characters : 
Salvia  hispaniea,  Lin.  Stem  herbaceous,  erect,  pubescent;  leaves 
petiolate,  ovate,  acute,  crenately  serrate,  narrowed  or  cuneate  at  the 
base,  glabrous,  etc.  An  annual  herb,  1  to  2  feet  high;  stem  thickish; 
petioles  and  nerves  of  the  leaves  whitish  pubescent;  leaves  long 
petiolate,  the  limb  2  to  3  inches  long,  etc. 
Kunth,  in  Synopsis  plantarum,  etc.,  collegerunt  Humboldt  et  Bon- 
pland,  vol.  ii,  p.  70,  gives  a  similar  description,  but  states  the  stem  to- 
