Gilia clokeyi
Clokey's gilia
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia clokeyi (Clokey's gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by . Key features: white flowers with 5 yellow spots, paired unequal pedicels.
Clokey's gilia is a California native annual found in the eastern Sierra Nevada, eastern Mojave Desert, and Desert Mountains on open, rocky slopes and sandy washes at elevations of 400 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this delicate plant produces white flowers with distinctive yellow spots at the base and occasional blue streaks, about 4 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with tufted-woolly stems 8 to 17 centimeters tall that are glandular toward the upper portion, it forms compact clusters in rocky terrain. Its basal leaves develop in a rosette, gray-green in color, with 1 to 2 pinnate lobes that spread outward and have short pointed tips. The fruit is spherical or widely ovoid, measuring 3 to 6 millimeters long and containing 9 to 24 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 23 sympatric species. Key features: white flowers with 5 yellow spots, paired unequal pedicels
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, rocky slopes, sandy washes, generally limestone
Elevation: 400-2500 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Kern, San Diego
Outside California: to Colorado, New Mexico
Bloom period
Gilia clokeyi blooms Mar-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 clokeyi native to California?
Yes. Gilia clokeyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia clokeyi bloom?
Gilia clokeyi blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Gilia clokeyi grow?
Gilia clokeyi occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, Kern, San Diego, at elevations of 400-2500 m.
What plant family does Gilia clokeyi belong to?
Gilia clokeyi is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
What habitat does Gilia clokeyi grow in?
Gilia clokeyi grows in Open, rocky slopes, sandy washes, generally limestone.
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.