One Tree, One Plant

Photos from my retro photo album titled: Cave Creek, April 2008

Above is a photo of what used to be my favorite tree before it got washed away by a flash flood. It was an American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.), and it was always beautiful no matter what season. I would visit it when I would hike a place called Seven Springs. This tree grows in Riparian areas and needs a lot of space since it grows so incredibly huge. American Sycamores are impressive, and I still lament that this particular tree has been gone for nearly a decade now. I still look for it whenever I’m there even though I know it has passed to the land where dead trees wander.

Pictured is a plant whose seeds have become trendy in the last few years. Can you guess what it is? I’ll give you a few hints: the plant stems are square, it grows where it’s dry and sunny, it belongs in the genus Salvia, and Native Americans used to grind the seeds and mix them into water to make a thick beverage. The answer is…Chia! I found this wonderful plant (Salvia columbariae) growing in the wild somewhere in Cave Creek Arizona, and I didn’t know what it was. This was years before Chia seeds became popular, so I became acquainted with the plant before I knew of the seeds. What a cool little discovery!

Side note, according to Wikipedia: The Cahuilla, Ohlone, Kawaiisu, and Mahuna used the gelatinous seeds to cleanse out foreign matter in the eyes. The seeds were placed in the eyes for infections and inflammation, and during sleep, they were tucked underneath the eyelids to remove sand particles. The Ohlone also used it to reduce fevers by consuming the seeds, and the Kumeyaay chewed the seeds on journeys by foot to give strength.

Makes me wonder…how did they find out these health benefits?? “Oh, I got some sand in my eye. I know what I’ll do…I’ll put some Chia seeds on my eyeballs and sleep with them there overnight. That’ll do the trick!” Who was the first to do that?! People were made of different stock back then.

My books Memory Road Trip (e-book or paperback) and Time Traveled (e-book or paperback) are both available! You can also find them at most major international book sites.