[Gilias: The Genus Ipomopsis West of the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]

Scarlet Gilia, Skyrocket, White-pollen Skyrocket

Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. aggregata

Synonyms: Gilia aggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Gilia aggregata ssp. euaggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima, Ipomospsis aggregata var. aggregata

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Scarlet gilia as seen atop Observation Peak, Siskiyou Crest, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest........July 15, 2020.

Basal leaves of Scarlet Gilia, Skyrocket, White Pollen Skyrocket: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. aggregata (Synonyms: Gilia aggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Gilia aggregata ssp. euaggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima, Ipomospsis aggregata var. aggregata) in its first year.

The photo at right shows the basal rosette of leaves of scarlet gilia as seen along Forest Road #82 on the south side of Mt. Adams.........July 1, 2005. Typically a biennial, this is what the plant looks like for the first year, and early in the second year of bloom.

Characteristics:

Scarlet gilia is a strikingly beautiful wildflower. It is a favorite of hummingbirds, and makes a nice addition to the dry, eastside (east of the Cascades) meadow or rock garden. It is a biennial, or a short-lived perennial. From experience, it is difficult to get it to over-winter outdoors west of the Cascades, as it is quite susceptible to the dampness and fungal attack.

Scarlet gilia has one erect, usually unbranched stem that may reach a height of 100 cm. The leaves are basal and also found on the stem (See photo at right.). The stem leaves become reduced in size upwards on the stem. They are usually 2-5 cm long, occasionally to 10 cm long, and are pinnatifid and very dissected. The herbage ranges from glabrous to tomentose.

The inflorescence is glandualr, open, and long and narrow. The flowers are clustered near the ends of the branches. The calyx is 5-7 mm long. The corolla is very showy, with a long, gradually flared tube from 15 to 35 mm long, with the spreading lobes 6 to 13 mm long. The corolla is an intense scarlet or occasionally whitish with scarlet spots.

Habitat:

Scarlet gilia is found from the lowlands to well up in altitude in mountainous areas. It prefers dry meadows, open or lightly wooded, and often in rocky or cliff areas.

Range:

Scarlet gilia is found from southern British Columbia, south along the eastern side of the Cascades (occasionally west) to Mexico.

Scarlet gilia as seen along Road S1750 near 4000' on the southern slopes of King Mt., which is in turn on the southeastern flanks of Mt. Adams........July 9, 2006.

The photo above shows a close-up of scarlet gilia as seen atop Crofton Ridge on the southern slopes of Mt. Adams........June 19, 2005.

Scarlet gilia blooming along Forest Service Road #16 in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest.........July 18, 2010.

Stem leaf of Scarlet Gilia, Skyrocket, White Pollen Skyrocket: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. aggregata (Synonyms: Gilia aggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Gilia aggregata ssp. euaggregata, Gilia aggregata var. aggregata, Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima, Ipomospsis aggregata var. aggregata)

The photo above shows a closeup of a leaf from the lower stem of scarlet gilia. Photographed at Buckhorn Overlook, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest..........May 30, 1999.

The photo above shows scarlet gilia as seen along Forest Road #40 near Sunset Point in the Umatilla National Forest of southeastern Washington.......June 25, 2007.

The two photos above show close-ups of the inflorescence of scarlet gilia. Photographed along the trail between Buckhorn Lookout and Eureka Bar in the Wallowa-Whitman N.F..........June 27, 2008.

Paul Slichter