Gilia tenuiflora subsp. tenuiflora

Slender-flowered gilia, greater yellowthroat gilia, Greater Yellowthroat Gilia

Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: annual · Native

Slender-flowered gilia is a California native annual found in the central coastal and southern coastal ranges in sandy hills, floodplains, and dry riverbeds at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces pale flowers with a distinctive purple throat and pale yellow spots, with delicate corollas 11.5 to 22 millimeters long. Growing with spreading branches 15 to 40 centimeters tall, the plant has stems that are either smooth or lightly woolly-hairy. Its basal leaves form a suberect cluster, finely divided into 1 to 2 pinnate lobes each 1 to 2 millimeters wide, with tufted woolly hairs in the leaf axils. The plant's flowers feature stamens that extend beyond the corolla and a style that surpasses the anthers, creating a delicate and intricate botanical structure.

Habitat: Sand hills, floodplains, dry riverbeds

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 100-1530 m

Bioregions: CCo, SCoR.

California counties: San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Kern, Inyo, Ventura

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