Allophyllum gilioides
Dense false gilia
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Allophyllum gilioides (Dense false gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by found in southeastern CA deserts.
Dense false gilia is a California native annual found in dry, open areas at low to moderate elevations in western California. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces dark blue-purple flowers with delicate 1 to 3 millimeter lobes in small clusters of 2 to 8 blooms. Growing with slender stems covered in short, glandular hairs, it reaches heights of 10 to 30 centimeters. Its leaves are distinctively narrow, with linear to lance-shaped lobes 2 to 4 millimeters wide, typically divided into 0 to 11 segments. Each flower produces a single black seed per chamber, nestled within its delicate inflorescence.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated from all congeners; found in southeastern CA deserts
Habitat and range
California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, San Benito, Tehama, Monterey, Colusa, Placer, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, Shasta, Santa Barbara, Inyo, Stanislaus, Nevada, Alpine, Mono, Lake, Contra Costa, Fresno, Tuolumne, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Glenn, Merced, Siskiyou, Napa, Plumas, Butte, Sierra, Solano, Mariposa
How to tell it apart
vs Gilia: Allophyllum has long fuzzy hairs; Gilia has white cobwebby or sharply bent hairs.; vs Microsteris: Allophyllum has variable long hairs and sticky seeds; Microsteris has short uniform hairs and dry seeds.; vs Eriastrum: Allophyllum is fuzzy-hairy; Eriastrum has woolly-white flower heads.; vs Collomia: Allophyllum has funnel flowers and sticky seeds; Collomia has trumpet flowers and dry seeds.; vs Linanthus: Allophyllum is conspicuously fuzzy with long hairs; Linanthus is less hairy or smooth.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allophyllum gilioides native to California?
Yes. Allophyllum gilioides is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Allophyllum gilioides grow?
Allophyllum gilioides occurs in San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, San Benito and other counties.
What plant family does Allophyllum gilioides belong to?
Allophyllum gilioides is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Allophyllum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.