Gilia capitata subsp. tomentosa

Woolly-headed gilia, Woolly-Headed Gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Woolly-headed gilia is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native annual found in northern coastal California, including northwestern coastal areas, southeastern north Coast Ranges, and north-central Coast Ranges, occurring on sea bluffs and serpentine outcrops at elevations below 30 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces bright blue-violet flowers in dense heads 20 to 35 millimeters wide with linear corolla lobes. Growing with stout stems 10 to 70 centimeters tall that are generally hairy, it forms an upright and robust annual structure. Its leaves are intricately 2-pinnate-lobed, creating a delicate and feathery foliage pattern. The fruit is small, spheric to ovoid, measuring 3 to 3.8 millimeters long and contained within the densely hairy calyx.

Habitat: Sea bluffs, outcrops (serpentine)

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 30 m

Bioregions: NCo, se NCoRI, n CCo.

California counties: Marin, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Solano

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