Gilia brecciarum
Encyclopedia
Gilia brecciarum is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common name Nevada gilia. It is native to the western United States from California
and Oregon
to Nevada
, where it grows in open areas in sandy soils, such as desert, plateau, and dry mountain slopes.
like scent.
Flowers appear in small clustered inflorescence
s at the ends of the stem branches. Each is on a pedicel
covered in hairlike black glands. The glandular flower has a small throat opening into a flat-faced pinkish-lavender corolla with five protruding purple-anthered stamen
s. The center of the flower and throat may have purple and yellow blotches. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule about half a centimeter long.
Polemoniaceae
Polemoniaceae are a family of about 25 genera with 270-400 species of annual and perennial plants, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity in western North America, especially in California.Only one genus is found in Europe, and two in Asia, where they...
known by the common name Nevada gilia. It is native to the western United States from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, where it grows in open areas in sandy soils, such as desert, plateau, and dry mountain slopes.
Description
This is a spindly wildflower with thin, branching stems reaching 10 to 40 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are made up of multilobed leaflets usually straight and with rounded ends. The stems and foliage are shiny green and covered in cobweb-like fibers, particularly on the lower stem. The herbage has an unpleasant skunkSkunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
like scent.
Flowers appear in small clustered inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s at the ends of the stem branches. Each is on a pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
covered in hairlike black glands. The glandular flower has a small throat opening into a flat-faced pinkish-lavender corolla with five protruding purple-anthered stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The center of the flower and throat may have purple and yellow blotches. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule about half a centimeter long.