Gilia mexicana
El paso gilia
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Gilia mexicana (El paso gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
El paso gilia is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native annual found in chaparral and pinyon-juniper woodland in desert regions at elevations of 1,160 to 1,476 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white flowers with pale bluish lobes and a yellow tube, small and delicate with ovate petals. Growing with slender, wavy stems 10 to 33 centimeters tall, it forms tufted clusters with grayish, woolly-hairy stems that become more glandular towards the tips. Its leaves are arranged in a basal rosette with 1 to 2 pinnate-lobed configurations, primary lobes 4.5 to 6.5 millimeters long, with proximal leaves crowded and distal leaves often reduced. The fruit is a small ovoid capsule approximately 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long, nearly equal in length to the calyx.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
Habitat: Chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland
Elevation: 1160-1476 m
Outside California: to New Mexico, northwest Mexico
Bloom period
Gilia mexicana blooms Apr-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.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 mexicana native to California?
Yes. Gilia mexicana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia mexicana bloom?
Gilia mexicana blooms Apr-May.
What plant family does Gilia mexicana belong to?
Gilia mexicana is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
Is Gilia mexicana rare or endangered?
Gilia mexicana carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S1.
What habitat does Gilia mexicana grow in?
Gilia mexicana grows in Chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.