Gilia tenuiflora subsp. arenaria

Monterey gilia, Monterey Gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2 · Endangered

Monterey gilia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in central Coast Ranges around Monterey Bay on coastal sand dunes at elevations below 30 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate white to lavender flowers approximately 10 to 14 millimeters long with slender corolla tubes. Growing with prostrate stems 6 to 17 centimeters tall that are densely covered in glandular or woolly hairs, it forms low-spreading clusters across sandy terrain. Its basal leaves grow in a flat rosette with serrated or pinnately lobed edges, creating a delicate ground-hugging pattern. The plant produces small fruits 5 to 6.2 millimeters long, nestled within its glandular calyx.

Habitat: Coastal sand dunes

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 30 m

Bioregions: c CCo (Monterey Bay).

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