Gilia clivorum
Purplespot gilia, Purplespot Gilia
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia clivorum (Purplespot gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by . Key features: purple-spotted yellow throat, purple calyx membranes.
Purplespot gilia is a California native annual found in southern North Coast Ranges, Central Western California, Channel Islands, Western Transverse Ranges, Southern California, and Peninsular Ranges in open, grassy areas at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces pale yellow flowers with purple spots and light blue or white lobes in small open clusters of 2 to 5 blossoms. Growing with spreading or erect branches 6 to 30 centimeters tall and covered in sparse woolly or shaggy hairs, it forms a lightly tufted habit. Its basal leaves are 2 to 6 centimeters long, intricately divided into 1 to 2 pinnate levels with narrow, ascending linear lobes. The small ovoid fruit contains 24 to 36 seeds and separates only in its upper third.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 33 sympatric species. Key features: purple-spotted yellow throat, purple calyx membranes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Common. Open, grassy areas
Elevation: < 1500 m
California counties: San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Alameda, Santa Clara, Monterey, Contra Costa, Riverside, Marin, Solano, Madera, Colusa, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Stanislaus, San Mateo, Fresno, San Bernardino, San Benito, Napa, Siskiyou, Merced, Lake, Kern, Inyo, Yolo
Outside California: Arizona (alien), Baja California
Bloom period
Gilia clivorum blooms Feb-Jun.
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 clivorum native to California?
Yes. Gilia clivorum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia clivorum bloom?
Gilia clivorum blooms Feb-Jun.
Where in California does Gilia clivorum grow?
Gilia clivorum occurs in San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Alameda, Santa Clara and other counties, at elevations of < 1500 m.
What plant family does Gilia clivorum belong to?
Gilia clivorum is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
What habitat does Gilia clivorum grow in?
Gilia clivorum grows in Common. Open, grassy areas.
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.