Gilia ochroleuca
Volcanic gilia
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia ochroleuca (Volcanic gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Volcanic gilia is a California native annual herb found in volcanic landscapes at middle to high elevations. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate flowers with a striking purple tube, yellow proximal throat, and blue distal throat, with pink to white lobes. Growing with slender branching stems 5 to 30 centimeters tall that are either smooth or softly woolly-hairy and often glandular near the flower clusters, it displays intricately divided leaves with linear lobes. Its lower leaves form a rosette and are typically 1 to 2 times pinnately lobed, while upper leaves are palmately arranged with narrow, angled lobes. The fruit is small, spherical, and approximately 2.4 to 5 millimeters long with detachable seed valves.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated - no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Monterey, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Lassen, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Mono
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 ochroleuca native to California?
Yes. Gilia ochroleuca is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Gilia ochroleuca grow?
Gilia ochroleuca occurs in Monterey, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Inyo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara and other counties.
What plant family does Gilia ochroleuca belong to?
Gilia ochroleuca is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.