Southwest Desert Flora

Scientific Name: Gilia flavocincta
Common Name: Lesser Yellowthroat Gilia
Also Called:
Family: Polemoniaceae, Jacob’s Ladder or Phlox Family
Synonyms: ()
Status: Native
Duration: Annual
Size: Up to 12 inches or more (17").
Growth Form: Forb/herb; branched throughout, stems cobwebby below, glabrous to sparsely glandular above.
Leaves: Green; sparsely cobwebby, largest leaves in basal rosette, leaf lobes entire or lobed (see photo above).
Flower Color: Pink with yellow throat, violets spots common, inflorescence of terminal flowers, sub-sessile or with small pedicel, calyx glabrous to sparsely cobwebby, corolla funnelform, tube equal to or longer that the calyx,
Flowering Season: February to May.
Elevation: 200 to 4,000 feet.

Habitat Preferences: Common on plains and in washes, preferring sandy soil.

Recorded Range: Gilia flavocincta is found in the southwestern United States in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. It is also native to Baja California and northern Mexico. In Arizona it is found throughout most of the state with few or no records in Gila, Maricopa and Apache counties. This species is marginal in Texas and Utah.

North America & US County Distribution Map for Gilia flavocincta.

U.S. Weed Information: No information available.
Invasive/Noxious Weed Information: No information available.
Wetland Indicator: No information available.
Threatened/Endangered Information: No information available.

Genus Information: 33 species in Gilia in North America; 12 species in Arizona, 29 species in California and 8 species in New Mexico and 4 species in Texas. The genus Gilia is primarily found in northwestern North America.

The Plant List includes 40 species for the genus Gilia.

there are 2 subs-species for Gilia flavocincta:
Gilia flavocincta subsp. australis Lesser Yellowthroat Gilia (see Recorded Range above);
Gilia flavocincta subsp. flavocincta, Lesser Yellowthroat Gilia (AZ only).

Comments: Lesser Yellowthroat Gilia is extremely variable in leaf shape and leaf size.