Gilia millefoliata
Dark-eyed gilia, Dark-Eyed Gilia
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Gilia millefoliata (Dark-eyed gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by . Key features: skunk-like odor, fleshy leaves, paired purple spots in throat.
Dark-eyed gilia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in northern coastal and northern central coastal bioregions in stabilized coastal dunes at elevations below 10 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces pale yellow flowers with blue-white lobes and distinctive purple throat spots in small clusters of 2 to 6 blooms. Growing 8 to 30 centimeters tall with long-decumbent branches and a densely glandular habit that produces a skunk-like odor, it develops a compact form. Its leaves are somewhat fleshy, with basal rosette leaves that are 1 to 2 times pinnately lobed and upper leaves that are shorter and palmate, with lobes 2 to 5 millimeters long. The fruit is narrowly ovoid to ellipsoid, measuring 7 to 9 millimeters long and containing 25 to 50 seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 8 sympatric species. Key features: skunk-like odor, fleshy leaves, paired purple spots in throat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Stabilized coastal dunes
Elevation: < 10 m
California counties: Humboldt, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Del Norte, San Francisco, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo
Outside California: southern Oregon
Bloom period
Gilia millefoliata blooms Mar-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
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 millefoliata native to California?
Yes. Gilia millefoliata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia millefoliata bloom?
Gilia millefoliata blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Gilia millefoliata grow?
Gilia millefoliata occurs in Humboldt, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Del Norte, San Francisco, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, at elevations of < 10 m.
What plant family does Gilia millefoliata belong to?
Gilia millefoliata is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
Is Gilia millefoliata rare or endangered?
Gilia millefoliata carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S2.
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.