''Gilia cana'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name showy gilia. It is native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

where it grows in open areas with gravelly and sandy soils, such as desert and rocky slopes. The

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...

range of some subspecies may extend into

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Description

This wildflower, ''Gilia cana'', grows a stout, branching stem reaching maximum heights around 30 centimeters. Most of the leaves are arranged in a clumpy rosette at the base of the plant. Each leaf is divided into leaflets with toothlike lobes. The lower part of the stem and leaves may have a coat of cobweb-like fibers. The herbage is glandular and has an unpleasant

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

like scent. The tops of the stem branches bear spreading

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s of glandular purple to pinkish-lavender flowers. Each flower has a short tubular throat which is yellow and blue inside and five slightly protruding

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s with bluish anthers. The fruit is a small, rounded capsule. It is an annual herb and flowers bloom March to August.

Ecology

''Gilia cana'' is used as an exclusive food plant by the larvae of the

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

—butterfly species '' Schinia biundulata''.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Gilia cana''''Gilia cana'' - Photo gallery

cana Cana of Galilee (; ) is the location of the Wedding at Cana, at which the miracle of turning water into wine took place in the Gospel of John. The location is disputed, with the four primary locations being Kafr Kanna, Khirbet Qana and Rei ...

Flora of Nevada Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the California desert regions Butterfly food plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polemoniaceae-stub