Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family, recognized by dense clusters with short pedicels and bright colors.
bird's-eye gilia is a California native annual found in the North Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, and Sacramento Valley in open grasslands and hills at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces bright flowers with a distinctive color pattern featuring a yellow to orange proximal throat, distal tube, and corolla lobes with a striking ring of dark purple spots. Growing with delicate stems up to several centimeters tall, it forms dense to occasionally open clusters of two to five flowers. Its leaves are finely divided, typical of the gilia genus, with a complex structure that supports the plant's intricate floral display. The flower's unique three-color pattern—yellow, orange, and deep purple—makes it a particularly eye-catching species in California's spring grasslands.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 26 sympatric species; key features are dense clusters with short pedicels and bright colors
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open, grassland, hills, valleys
Elevation: < 1200 m
California counties: Kern, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Butte, Los Angeles, Alameda, Tulare, Yolo, Amador, Madera, Sacramento, Sutter, Merced, Fresno, Colusa, Tehama, Glenn, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Santa Clara, Lake, Mendocino, San Benito, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Solano, San Mateo, Humboldt, Placer, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Shasta, Santa Barbara, San Diego, El Dorado, Monterey
Bloom period
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor blooms (Jan-Feb)Mar--May.
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 subsp. tricolor native to California?
Yes. Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor bloom?
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor blooms (Jan-Feb)Mar--May.
Where in California does Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor grow?
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor occurs in Kern, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Butte, Los Angeles, Alameda, Tulare, Yolo and other counties, at elevations of < 1200 m.
What plant family does Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor belong to?
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Gilia.
What habitat does Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor grow in?
Gilia tricolor subsp. tricolor grows in Open, grassland, hills, valleys.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Gilia yorkii — Monarch gilia
- Gilia achilleifolia — California gilia
- Gilia achilleifolia subsp. achilleifolia
- Gilia achilleifolia subsp. multicaulis
- Gilia aliquanta — Puffcalyx gilia
- Gilia aliquanta subsp. aliquanta
- Gymnosteris parvula — Small flowered gymnosteris
- Gymnosteris sp.
- Ipomopsis aggregata — Scarlet 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.