Gilia tricolor
Bird's-eye gilia
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia tricolor (Bird's-eye gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by no sympatric species.
Bird's-eye gilia is a native annual herb found in California's grasslands and open woodlands. Flowering from March to June, this delicate plant produces distinctive flowers with yellow throats adorned with purple spots and blue-violet petal tips that create a striking three-color effect. Growing with slender, spreading branches 10 to 38 centimeters tall, it has finely divided leaves with linear lobes that form open, lacy clusters. Its leaves are hairy in the axils, with basal leaves pinnately lobed and upper leaves becoming more palmately structured. The flower's intricate coloration—yellow base with purple markings and blue-violet tips—makes this an especially eye-catching member of the gilia family.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Geographically isolated; no sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Mendocino, Kern, Los Angeles, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Fresno, Santa Clara, El Dorado, Colusa, Tehama, Butte, Solano, Lake, Mariposa, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Alameda, Sonoma, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Napa, Merced, Orange, San Bernardino, Shasta, Trinity, Kings, Sutter, Glenn, Humboldt, Monterey, Riverside, San Mateo, San Diego, Madera, Stanislaus, Amador, Tuolumne, San Benito, Placer, Yuba
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 tricolor native to California?
Yes. Gilia tricolor is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Gilia tricolor grow?
Gilia tricolor occurs in Mendocino, Kern, Los Angeles, Yolo, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Fresno, Santa Clara and other counties.
What plant family does Gilia tricolor belong to?
Gilia tricolor 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.