Although _E. arizonicus_ is considered one of the desert’s most beautiful wildflowers, members of the genus are by no means limited to the desert. They are found in sunny locations on desert grasslands, open plains and dry mesas below 5,000 feet from the Dakotas and Montana to Argentina.
The flowers, although rarely more than ½ inch in diameter, are bright azure or sky blue, and seem large in comparison with the small leaves and weak, spreading stems of the plant that bears them.
Although the genus _Ipomoea_ is the true Morningglory, blossoms of _Evolvus_ are similar in appearance, although flattened, hence are sometimes called Wild-morningglory.
[Illustration: Salvia carnosa Salvia columbariae]
Common names: CHIA, SAGE, DESERT-SAGE Arizona desert: (_Salvia carnosa_). Sky-blue. Spring. California desert: (_Salvia columbariae_). Blue. March-April. Texas desert: (_Salvia arizonica_). Indigo blue. July-September. Mint family. Size: Herbs and shrubs up to 3 feet high.
The word “Sage” is derived from the idea that these plants had the power to make a person wise or sage. Please do not confuse the Desert-sage with Sagebrush (_Artemisia_) which does not grow in low-elevation deserts but which, due to popular writings and “western” movies, is associated in the public mind with any brushy plant found in the west.
Seeds of the Chia at one time formed a staple article of diet among southwestern Indians, and are still used by natives in Mexico for food and for making mucilaginous poultices.
The flowers of several species of Chia are very ornamental and the plants are quite common, usually in sandy soil.
[Illustration: Delphinium amabile D. scaposum]
Common names: LARKSPUR, WILD-DELPHINIUM Arizona desert: (_Delphinium scaposum_). Royal blue. March-May. California desert: (_Delphinium parishi_) Sky blue. Spring. Texas desert: (_Delphinium carolinianum_). Blue. Spring. Crowfoot family. Size: Up to 2 feet in height.
Desert Larkspurs are low-growing, spring or early summer-flowering in habit, often occurring in colonies, and frequently intermingle with other spring flowers thereby adding their blue to the colorful tapestry of ground cover. They are readily recognized because of their resemblance to the cultivated varieties called Delphiniums, and because of the tubular extension or “spur.” _D. amabile_ is the most drought-resistant of all southwestern species and may blossom in the desert as early as February.