Gilia leptantha subsp. transversa

fine-flower gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Fine-flower gilia is a California native annual found on the northern slope of the Sierra Nevada Baldy, in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert in rocky or sandy soil near streams at elevations of 900 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from April to August, this delicate plant produces white to lavender flowers with obovate lobes 3 to 6 millimeters wide, creating a cup-shaped throat. Growing with slender stems 16 to 40 centimeters tall that are densely glandular above the basal rosette, it has an airy, delicate structure. Its basal and lower cauline leaves range from 2 to 8 centimeters long, providing a soft green backdrop to the intricate flowers. The fruit is small and variable, measuring 3 to 8 millimeters in an ovoid to obovoid shape.

Habitat: Rocky or sandy soil, generally near streams

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 900-2450 m

Bioregions: SnGb (n slope), SnBr, sw edge DMoj.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.