Allophyllum glutinosum

Sticky false gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Sticky false gilia is a California native annual found in southern Coast Ranges, southern Channel Islands, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges in rocky or sandy, often moist areas at elevations of 30 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces pale blue to lavender flowers with bilateral, two-lipped corollas 6 to 11 millimeters long. Growing with erect, glandular stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall that have a distinctive skunk-like odor, it develops intricate branching. Its compound leaves are deeply lobed, with basal leaf lobes 1 to 2 millimeters wide and upper leaf lobes 3 to 11 millimeters wide, ranging from lanceolate to elliptic. The long-stalked glands on its stems and exserted stamens and style curving from the flower's lower lip make this annual a distinctive woodland and chaparral inhabitant.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy, often moist areas in sun or shade

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 30-1600 m

Bioregions: SCoRO, s ChI (Santa Catalina Island), TR, PR

California counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Kern, San Benito, Napa, Tuolumne

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