Chromosome Number and Meiotic Behavior of Cultivated Chia, Salvia hispanica (Lamiaceae)

Edible chia seeds, purchased from the local markets in Guatemala, Mexico, and southern California, were used for species identification, chromosome counts, karyotype construction, and meiotic analyses. Plants raised from those seeds had ovate leaves, dense racemose inflorescences, pale-blue flowers, and were identified from herbarium specimens as Salvia hispanica L. Mitotic analyses of root tips from 50 plants showed 2n = 12—the lowest chromosome number in the genus. Chromosomes were small, ranging from 2 to 3.5 pm . One pair of chromosomes was metacentric (with the long arm: short arm ratio, r = 1.5), four pairs were submetacentric (r = 2.6 to 3.6), and one pair was telocentric (r = 12). Meiosis was regular and six bivalents were observed at metaphase I. Ring and rod bivalents averaged 1.53 ± 1.05 and 4.47 ± 1.05, respectively;