About Maculigilia maculata (Parish) V.E.Grant
Maculigilia maculata, with synonyms Linanthus maculatus and Gilia maculata, is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family. It is commonly called San Bernardino Mountain gilia and Little San Bernardino Mountains gilia. It is the only species in the genus Maculigilia. This plant is endemic to California, and is only found in a small number of locations in the Little San Bernardino Mountains and the adjacent Palm Springs area, at the northern end of the Coachella Valley. The largest populations, which can include thousands of individual plants, are found within the boundaries of Joshua Tree National Park. It is a very small annual herb that grows no taller than three centimeters. It has a taproot that may grow longer than 6 centimeters, to collect moisture from the dry desert sand of its native habitat. Its tiny, hairy stem branches to form small matted clusters on the surface of the sand. Its hairy leaves are only a few millimeters long and are unlobed. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of flowers, each of which is only 2 to 5 millimeters wide. The flower corolla has curled-back lobes that are white, sometimes with a purple or pink spot. The protruding stamens are yellow. The primary threat to this species is development across its range, and it is also vulnerable to damage from off-road vehicles on the open sandy flats where it grows.
