[Gilias: The Genus Gilia East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Great Basin Gilia, Sand Gilia

Aliciella leptomeria

Synonym: Gilia leptomeria, Gilia leptomeria ssp. leptomeria, Gilia leptomeria var. leptomeria, Gilia subacaulis

Sand gilia as seen on arid soils along the Domingo Pass Road at the eastern edge of the Pueblo Mountains of southeastern Oregon............May 31, 2012. Note the reddish cast to the basal leaves and stems.

Characteristics:

Sand gilia may also be known as naked-stemmed gilia or Great Basin gilia. It is an annual wildflower with one or more openly branched stems from 10-30 cm high. The herbage is glandular throughout. The leaves are largely in a basal rosette. Individual leaves range from 5-10 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide. They are oblanceolate in outline with 5-10 coarse teeth or triangular lobes on each margin. The tips of the teeth or lobes are spine-tipped. Any leaves on the stem are reduced in size and bract-like.

The glandular inflorescence is open, with the flowers at the terminus of the branches. The pedicels range from several millimeters to as long as 2 cm. The calyx is 1-3 mm long with triangular teeth shorter than the tube. The corolla is 4-7 mm long and a white to lavender in color, sometimes with a yellow throat. The corolla is narrowly funnelform in shape. The 5 corolla lobes are 2-3 mm long with acuminate tips.

Habitat:

Sand gilia may be found in dry, open, often sandy places in the lowlands and foothills.

Range:

Sand gilia may be found east of the Cascade Mts. from central Washington south to southern California and east to central Idaho, southern Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

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Close-up images of the flowers and basal leaves of sand gilia as seen on arid soils along the Domingo Pass Road at the eastern edge of the Pueblo Mountains of southeastern Oregon............May 31, 2012. Note the tips of the corolla lobes which abruptly taper to a point. This is a characteristic of this species of gilia.

Paul Slichter