Scientific Family
Polemoniaceae
Synonyms
Gilia longiflora
Other common names
blue gilia
white-flowered gilia
blue starflower
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Biennial or annual
Height
2 feet
Riparian
No
Stems simple to branched, branches extending outward. Produces many pale blue to white funnel shaped flowers.
Annual or biennial; stems simple to branched; leaves alternate, deeply pinnately lobed, lobes narrow; stems and leaves hairless or with sparse short soft hairs; flowers tubular, with abruptly spreading white to light blue showy petals.
Habitat
Dry mesas, plains and roadsides.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
Has 5 spreading lobes that fuse into a long narrow tube. To 2 inches long. Is solitary or appears in pairs of loose clusters.
Flower color
Pale blue to nearly white
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are pinnately lobed with 1 to 3 pairs of narrow linear lobes. Lobes to 1 inch long. Lower lobes to 2 inches long.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.
Fruit type
Capsule
About 7 to 9 seeds in each capsule.