Saltugilia splendens
Splendid woodland-gilia
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Saltugilia splendens (Splendid woodland-gilia) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Splendid woodland-gilia is a California native annual found in rocky and open habitats at elevations between 10 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces striking red-purple flowers with pink-tipped lobes in delicate clusters with pedicels 3 to 20 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 10 to 100 centimeters tall, it develops an open, ascending branching pattern. Its leaves are finely divided, creating a delicate, lacy appearance across the plant's structure. Each flower cluster produces fruits 4 to 8 millimeters long, containing 10 to 20 seeds per chamber.
Habitat and range
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey
How to tell it apart
vs Gilia: Saltugilia lacks white cobwebby hairs; Gilia has distinctive white cobwebby or bent hairs.; vs Navarretia: Wet the seeds - Saltugilia seeds stay dry; Navarretia seeds become gelatinous and sticky.; vs Erodium: Saltugilia has radially symmetric flowers; Erodium has bilateral flowers and long-beaked fruits.; vs Leptosiphon: Saltugilia has bell/funnel flowers in clusters; Leptosiphon has tubular flowers with spreading lobes.; vs Stephanomeria: Saltugilia has simple flowers; Stephanomeria has dandelion-like flower heads with only ray flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Saltugilia splendens native to California?
Yes. Saltugilia splendens is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Saltugilia splendens grow?
Saltugilia splendens occurs in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey.
What plant family does Saltugilia splendens belong to?
Saltugilia splendens is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Saltugilia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Saltugilia splendens subsp. grantii
- Saltugilia splendens subsp. splendens
- Saltugilia australis — Southern gilia
- Saltugilia caruifolia — Caraway-leaved woodland-gilia
- Saltugilia latimeri — Latimer's woodland-gilia
- Saltugilia sp.
- Aliciella humillima — Smallest aliciella
- Aliciella hutchinsifolia — Desert pale aliciella
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.