Gilia latiflora
Broad-flowered gilia
(c) Florian Boyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia latiflora (Broad-flowered gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Broad-flowered gilia is a native annual herb found in California at elevations suitable for its prostrate, tufted growth pattern. Flowering from early spring to summer, this plant produces showy, fragrant flowers with a purple corolla tube, white lobe bases, and lavender tips measuring 9 to 35 millimeters long. Growing with ascending branches and a rosette of strap-shaped basal leaves 2 to 7 centimeters long, it has tufted-woolly hairy foliage that is distinctively toothed or lobed. Its basal leaves form a dense tuft with spreading lobes, while smaller cauline leaves clasp the stem and are often entire or slightly lobed at the base. The fruit is ovoid to obovoid, generally larger than the calyx and measuring 3 to 9 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Imperial, Tulare, San Diego
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 latiflora native to California?
Yes. Gilia latiflora is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Gilia latiflora grow?
Gilia latiflora occurs in San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Imperial and other counties.
What plant family does Gilia latiflora belong to?
Gilia latiflora 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.