Gilia interior
Inland gilia
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Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Gilia interior (Inland gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by . Key features: 1-2 flowers per cluster, tube 2-3× longer than lobes.
Inland gilia is a California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehachapi, and Western Transverse Ranges in rocky slopes, open woodland, and scrub at elevations of 700 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces lavender flowers with purple tube and yellow throat, 6 to 11 millimeters long, marked with a purple spot at the base of the flower lobes. Growing with spreading branches 6 to 13 centimeters tall, the plant forms a tufted cluster with woolly-hairy stems that become glandular near the flower clusters. Its basal leaves form a rosette with pinnate lobes that spread outward, each lobe 1 to 2 times the width of the leaf axis and potentially toothed or entire. The fruit is a narrow ovoid structure 3 to 6 millimeters long, containing 9 to 27 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 25 sympatric species. Key features: 1-2 flowers per cluster, tube 2-3× longer than lobes
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes, open woodland, scrub
Elevation: 700-1700 m
California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Tulare, Inyo, Alpine
Bloom period
Gilia interior blooms Apr-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 interior native to California?
Yes. Gilia interior is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia interior bloom?
Gilia interior blooms Apr-May.
Where in California does Gilia interior grow?
Gilia interior occurs in Kern, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Tulare, Inyo, Alpine, at elevations of 700-1700 m.
What plant family does Gilia interior belong to?
Gilia interior is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
Is Gilia interior rare or endangered?
Gilia interior carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.