Salvia hispanica L. (syn.: S. chia Sessé et Moc.) (Mexico, Guatemala) – A rare and ephemeral alien. Discovered in 2014 in two localities near to Antwerpen: at first alongside a railway track at the Albertkanaal between Merksem and Schoten, subsequently in Mortsel. In both instances Salvia hispanica was seen in quantity.
This species is increasingly cultivated as an oil seed crop (‘chia’) and is apparently introduced in Belgium as a component of commercial birdseed or of fodder.
In the non-flowering stage, Salvia hispanica is much reminiscent of Perilla frutescens, a species that can be found in similar places and from identical sources. Both species may have been intermixed.
Selected literature:
Cahill J.P. (2003) Ethnobotany of Chia, Salvia hispanica L. (Lamiaceae). Economic Botany 57(4): 604-618.
Cahill J.P. (2005) Human Selection and Domestication of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.). Journal of Ethnobiology 25(2): 155-174.
Dudas K.O. & v. Prondzinski J.A. (2019) Altes und Neues zur Flora von Hamburg. Salvia hispanica L. – Mexikanische Chia: Spontanfunde eines „Superfoods“. Berichte des Botanischen Vereins zu Hamburg 31: 61-64. [available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338855354_Salvia_hispanica_L_-_...
Muñoz L.A., Cobos A., Diaz O. & Aguilera J.M. (2013) Chia Seed ( Salvia hispanica ): An Ancient Grain and a New Functional Food. Food Reviews International 29(4): 394-408.