About Gilia cana (M.E.Jones) A.Heller
This wildflower, Gilia cana, produces a stout, branching stem that grows to a maximum height of around 30 centimeters. Most of its leaves form a clumpy rosette at the base of the plant. Each leaf is divided into leaflets that have tooth-shaped lobes. The lower section of the stem and the leaves may be covered in cobweb-like fibers. The above-ground plant tissue is glandular and carries an unpleasant, skunk-like scent. The tips of the stem branches hold spreading inflorescences of glandular flowers that range in color from purple to pinkish-lavender. Each flower has a short tubular throat that is yellow and blue on the inside, plus five slightly protruding stamens with bluish anthers. The fruit produced by this plant is a small, rounded capsule. Gilia cana is an annual herb, and its flowers bloom from March to August. In its ecology, Gilia cana acts as the only food plant for the larvae of the butterfly Schinia biundulata, a lepidopteran species.
