''Saltugilia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of flowering plants in the phlox family,

Polemoniaceae The Polemoniaceae (Jacob's-ladder or phlox family) are a family of flowering plants consisting of about 25 genera with 270–400 species of annuals and perennials native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity ...

. They are known commonly as woodland gilias.Porter, J. M. and L. A. Johnson. (2000)
A phylogenetic classification of Polemoniaceae.
''Aliso'' 19(1) 55-91. There are four species. Two are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

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 ...

in the United States, and the distributions of the other two extend into

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

in Mexico. This genus was erected in the year 2000 to segregate three species from the genus ''

Gilia ''Gilia'' is a genus of between 25 and 50 species of flowering plants in the Polemoniaceae family and is related to phlox. These Western native plants are best sown in sunny, well-draining soil in the temperate and tropical regions of the Ameri ...

'' on the basis of phylogenetic evidence. Analysis of DNA was used in the formation of the new taxon, and studies of other characteristics of the plants, such as morphological,

palynological Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and ''-logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

, and

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

traits, were considered. ''Saltugilia'' was a

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

of genus ''Gilia''. These three species were classified in the new genus ''Saltugilia'', and the fourth was newly described to science in 2001.Weese, T. L. and L. A. Johnson. (2011)
''Saltugilia latimeri'': A new species of Polemoniaceae.
''Madroño'' 48(3) 198-204.

Description

These plants are annual herbs producing solitary, branching stems 15 to 100 centimeters tall. Most of the leaves are arranged in a basal rosette around the stem. Most of the herbage is coated with

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s tipped with glands. The

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 ...

is an open array of branches bearing single and paired flowers. The funnel-shaped corollas are pink, lavender, blue, or white, with yellow spotting in the throat. The

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 bear blue

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

Diversity

*The southern gilia, '' Saltugilia australis'', formerly ''Gilia australis'', is a plant of the

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

of southern California. It is also known from Baja California. The flower corollas have white tubes and pink or blue lobes.''S. australis''.
The Jepson Herbarium. *The caraway-leaved woodland gilia, '' Saltugilia caruifolia'', formerly ''G. caruifolia'', grows in chaparral and forest habitat in southern California and Baja California. The flowers are purple, sometimes with white throats.''S. caruifolia''.
The Jepson Herbarium. *Latimer's woodland gilia, '' Saltugilia latimeri'', was separated from ''S. australis''. It is a California endemic limited mainly to

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

and Riverside Counties. The corollas are purple with pink lobes. It grows in the desert.''S. latimeri''.
The Jepson Herbarium. *The splendid woodland gilia, '' Saltugilia splendens'',''S. splendens''.
The Jepson Herbarium. formerly ''Gilia splendens'', is also known as ''S. grinnellii'', which may be the technically correct name because it was established first. It is endemic to the mountain ranges of southern California. There are two subspecies, ssp. ''grantii'' and ssp. ''splendens''. This species has the largest flowers of the four, up to 3.6 centimeters in ssp. ''grantii''.''S. splendens'' ssp. ''grantii''.
The Jepson Herbarium.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6117578 Polemoniaceae Polemoniaceae genera Flora of Baja California Flora of California