Gilia modocensis

Modoc gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Modoc gilia is a California native annual herb found in the southern Sierra Nevada Cascade Ranges, Tehachapi Mountains, Great Basin, and Desert Mountains in open, rocky areas and pinyon-juniper woodland at elevations of 400 to 2,450 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces purple and lavender flowers with yellow throats 7 to 11 millimeters long, showing delicate color variations. Growing 10 to 34 centimeters tall with several spreading branches that are tufted-woolly and sometimes glandular near the base, it develops a distinctive tufted appearance. Its basal leaves form a rosette with strap-shaped pinnate-lobed leaves, featuring short spreading lobes that are toothed, while cauline leaves are deeply lobed and clasping. The fruit is widely ovoid, measuring 4 to 6.5 millimeters long and containing 15 to 30 seeds.

Habitat: Open, rocky areas, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 400-2450 m

Bioregions: Teh, s SCoRO, TR, GB, DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, Inyo, Mono, Ventura, Lassen, Modoc, Tulare, Santa Barbara, El Dorado, Nevada, Siskiyou, Plumas, San Diego, Imperial

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