Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata
(c) Florian Boyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by . Key features: largest flowers 21-35mm, tube 4-6× lobes, very narrow throat.
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata is a California native annual found in western Mojave Desert mountains including Rand, El Paso, and Black Rock Hills on open, sandy slopes at elevations of 700 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white flowers with yellow throats, delicately veined and measuring 21 to 35 millimeters long. Growing with stems 13 to 32 centimeters tall, it develops a distinctive tufted-woolly hairy appearance below the middle of the plant. Its flowers feature a slender corolla tube more than three times the length of the calyx, with white lobes surrounding a narrow, tapered yellow throat. The fruit is 6 to 9 millimeters long, developing after the plant's brief spring flowering period.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 22 sympatric species. Key features: largest flowers 21-35mm, tube 4-6× lobes, very narrow throat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, sandy slopes
Elevation: 700-1900 m
Bloom period
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata blooms Apr-May.
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 subsp. elongata native to California?
Yes. Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata bloom?
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata belong to?
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
What habitat does Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata grow in?
Gilia latiflora subsp. elongata grows in Open, sandy slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Gilia latiflora subsp. latiflora — Broad-leaved gilia
- Gilia leptantha — Fineflowered gilia
- Gilia leptantha subsp. leptantha — San bernardino gilia
- Gilia leptantha subsp. pinetorum — Pine gilia
- Gilia leptantha subsp. purpusii — Purpus' fineflowered gilia
- Gilia leptantha subsp. transversa — fine-flower gilia
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.