''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, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

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

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

range of some subspecies may extend into

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

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 ginge ...

like scent. The tops of the stem branches bear spreading

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

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 (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

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 ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

—butterfly species ''

Schinia biundulata ''Schinia biundulata'' is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in western North America, including Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Utah. The wingspan is 20–22 mm. Food ''Gilia cana'' is used as an exclusive ...

''.

References

External links

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

cana Cana of Galilee ( grc, Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας; ar, قانا الجليل , translit= Qana al-Jalil , lit=Qana of the Galilee) is the location of the Marriage at Cana, at which the miracle of turning water into wine took place in ...

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