Gilia tenuiflora
Greater yellowthroat gilia
(c) Henrik Kibak, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Henrik Kibak · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia tenuiflora (Greater yellowthroat gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
Greater yellowthroat gilia is a California native annual herb found in California's coastal ranges and central western regions in open grasslands and dry slopes. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright pink-lavender flowers with white bases, the delicate blossoms 9 to 22 millimeters long with a purple throat. Growing with several spreading branches 10 to 30 centimeters tall, the plant has a distinctive branching structure that can be glabrous or tufted-woolly-hairy at the base. Its leaves form basal clusters with intricate 1 to 2-pinnate lobes, each lobe thin and linear, spreading outward from a slender axis. The fruit is small, ovoid to obovoid, measuring 3.5 to 8 millimeters long and typically not exceeding the flower's calyx.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kern, Fresno, Riverside, Inyo, Ventura
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 tenuiflora native to California?
Yes. Gilia tenuiflora is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Gilia tenuiflora grow?
Gilia tenuiflora occurs in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Los Angeles, San Diego and other counties.
What plant family does Gilia tenuiflora belong to?
Gilia tenuiflora is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Gilia tenuiflora subsp. amplifaucalis — Trumpet-throated gilia
- Gilia tenuiflora subsp. arenaria — Monterey gilia
- Gilia tenuiflora subsp. docmilleri — Santa lucia gilia
- Gilia tenuiflora subsp. hoffmannii — Hoffmann's slender-flowered gilia
- Gilia tenuiflora subsp. tenuiflora — Slender-flowered gilia
- Gilia transmontana — Transmontane gilia
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.