Bird’s-eye Gilia, a Psychedelic Work of Art

Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) is one of Ohio's loveliest and most common wildflowers. Years of spring hikes have me on a first name basis with it. This past spring, in California, I became acquainted with an even lovelier cousin, Bird's-eye Gilia (Gilia tricolor).

Bird's-eye Gilia and Wild Blue Phlox are members of the Phlox Family (Polemoniaceae), and like most family members, they are colorfully, wonderfully gaudy. That Bird's-eye Gilia is so common, typically covering grassy hillsides in Central California, in no way diminishes it.

The flowers of Bird's-eye Gilia would do a Peter Max poster proud. (Let's see a show of hands. How many of you remember Peter Max?). At first glance, from a distance, they are a white haze hovering over the grass. Nearer, the colors begin to reveal themselves. On your hands and knees, nose to anthers, the psychedelic artwork reveals itself.

The 5 petals, which form a shallow dime-sized bowl, are white to pale blue, gradually (how gradual can you be when you are dime-sized?) washing into pink or blue-violet at the outer edge. The narrow tube the petals flare out of is yellow, its gaping maw splashed with deep purple. (Peter Max and Deep Purple? Far out.) The five stamens, which are attached inside the tube, protrude from the flower like Uncle Martin's antennae ("My Favorite Martian"?). They - their anthers - are powder-puffs of deep blue pollen.

Pretty groovy, huh?

Bird's-eye Gilia is an annual, blooming in March and April. Several clusters of up to 5 flowers branch off the stem, which reaches up to a foot in height. It has slender, nearly thread-like leaves typical of the Phlox Family, and the flowers, the psychedelic eye candy covering hillsides, close on cloudy days.

There are about 70 species in the Gilia genus, and they can be found throughout western North America, as well as South America. The generic name comes from Felipe Gila, an 18th century Spanish botanist. Their specific name, tricolor, is an understatement.

In the meantime, Wild Blue Phlox is not multi-colored, but instead appears to have been generously coated with blue, or lavender-blue, or pink even. This lovely species blooms from March into June, in rich woods and fields. The flowers, which grow in clusters, are slightly fragrant. The eastern species have notched flower petals, those in the west do not.

Wild Blue Phlox grows to about 2" tall, has unstalked leaves and a...yuck...sticky stem. It is also know as Wild Sweet William, a name also given to P. Maculkata.

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