Allophyllum gilioides subsp. violaceum

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Allophyllum gilioides is a California native annual found in the northern Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, northern eastern Sierra Nevada, and Desert Mountains in open, sandy, generally damp or grassy areas at elevations of 1,200 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from May to July, this delicate plant produces lavender to violet flowers approximately 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems typically around 15 centimeters tall, it has a delicate, spreading growth habit. Its cauline leaves are entire or divided into 3 to 7 narrow lobes, each lobe measuring 0.5 to 3 millimeters wide. The flower pedicels tend to elongate as the plant produces fruit, giving it a distinctive open, loosely arranged appearance.

Habitat: Open, sandy, generally damp or grassy areas

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1200-2900 m

Bioregions: NCoR, SN, SnFrB, SCoR, TR, PR, n SNE, DMtns

California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Tulare, San Diego, San Bernardino, Mono, Colusa, Riverside, Inyo, El Dorado, Fresno, Placer, Nevada, Shasta, Sierra, Monterey, Plumas, Solano, Santa Barbara, Tehama, Glenn, Lassen, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Contra Costa, Madera, Alpine, Calaveras, Napa, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Ventura, San Benito, Santa Clara, Lake, Santa Cruz

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.