Biology:Gilia capitata
| Gilia capitata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Gilia |
| Species: | G. capitata
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| Binomial name | |
| Gilia capitata Sims
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Gilia capitata is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names blue-thimble-flower,[1] bluehead gilia,[2] blue field gilia, and globe gilia.[3]
Distribution
It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, and it can be found on the eastern side of the continent as an introduced species. It grows in many habitats, especially in sandy or rocky soils.
Description
Gilia capitata is an annual herb[3] that is somewhat variable in appearance, with branching, leafy stems reaching anywhere from 10 to 90 centimeters in maximum height and sometimes having glandular hairs on the fleshy herbage. The leaves are divided into toothed or lobed leaflets. Atop the branches of the thick stem are spherical inflorescences of 50 to 100 small flowers. Each flower has a throat opening into a spreading corolla which may be white, pink, lavender, or light blue. The stamens protrude slightly from the flower's mouth and are white with white, blue, or pink anthers. The plant attracts native bees and butterflies.[4]
Subspecies
There are several subspecies, including:
- G. c. ssp. abrotanifolia - native to California and Baja California
- G. c. ssp. capitata - occurs throughout the range of the species
- G. c. ssp. chamissonis (dune gilia) - endemic to the sand dunes of California's central coast; bears bright blue-violet flowers
- G. c. ssp. mediomontana - native to the Sierra Nevada
- G. c. ssp. pacifica - grows along the coastline of Oregon and California
- G. c. ssp. pedemontana - native to the Sierra Nevada foothills
- G. c. ssp. staminea - found in California and Arizona
- G. c. ssp. tomentosa - a rare subspecies known from a few occurrences just north of the San Francisco Bay Area
References
- ↑ (xls) BSBI List 2007, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, https://bsbi.org/download/3542/, retrieved 2014-10-17
- ↑ "Gilia capitata". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=GICA5. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=gica5.
- ↑ "Gilia capitata (Blue Gilia, Bluehead Gilia, Blue-head Gily-flower, Globe Gilia) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gilia-capitata/.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q5561826 entry
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