Polemoniaceae

Gilia capitata

Blue-Headed Gilia

Stem erect, branched near top, leafy below flowers. Leaves at base and on stem, divided once or twice to narrow lobes, central lobe widest; stem leaves reducing in size, with upper leaves undivided. Flowers numerous in tight balls at stem tips. Flower tube and lobes light blue, stamens and style exserted beyond lobes. Grows in open, sandy or rocky soils, grassy hillsides, below 7000 ft. Subsp. capitata, with a colorless calyx, grows on rocky slopes and hillsides. Subsp. pacifica has a blue-violet calyx and grows on coastal slopes and bluffs.

• Rarity: Common
• Flowering Time: Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Annual, Perennial
• Height: 6--36 inches
• Habitat: West-Side Forest, Meadow, East-Side Forest
• Found In: Columbia Basin, West Gorge, Olympic Np, Siskiyous, Mt. Rainier Np, N Cascades Np
• Native: Yes