Gilia capitata
Bluehead gilia, Bluehead Gilia
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia capitata (Bluehead gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Bluehead gilia is a California native annual found in various bioregions across meadows, grasslands, and open woodlands. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces blue to lavender flowers in dense, spherical heads with 25 to 100 individual blooms. Growing 10 to 90 centimeters tall with branched stems that are leafy below the flower clusters, it has a delicate, open structure with multiple stems. Its lower leaves are intricately divided into 5 to 20 millimeter linear lobes, often with white hairs along the leaf axis, while upper leaves become progressively smaller and more reduced. The plant produces small spherical fruits containing up to 25 seeds, adding to its distinctive seed dispersal strategy.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - 0 sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Los Angeles, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Napa, Amador, Sierra, Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou, Lake, Tehama, Sonoma, Colusa, Plumas, Tulare, Tuolumne, Del Norte, Humboldt, Sacramento, El Dorado, Butte, Marin, Santa Clara, Fresno, Mendocino, Ventura, Madera, Solano, Nevada, Sutter, Placer, Glenn, Mariposa, Monterey, Alpine, San Francisco, Inyo, Contra Costa, Yuba, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Merced
How to tell it apart
vs Saltugilia: Gilia has white cobwebby or sharply bent hairs; Saltugilia has translucent, barely glandular hairs.; vs Navarretia: Gilia has cobwebby/bent hairs; Navarretia has very short uniform glandular hairs and spiny flower heads.; vs Phacelia: Gilia has white cobwebby hairs; Phacelia has coiled flower clusters and straight bristly hairs.; vs Allophyllum: Gilia has white cobwebby or bent hairs; Allophyllum has long fuzzy glandular hairs.; vs Aliciella: Gilia has funnel-shaped flowers; Aliciella has wheel-shaped flowers with spreading lobes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gilia capitata native to California?
Yes. Gilia capitata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Gilia capitata grow?
Gilia capitata occurs in Los Angeles, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern and other counties.
What plant family does Gilia capitata belong to?
Gilia capitata is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
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.