[Sidenote: =Downy Gilia=
_Gília floccòsa_
=Blue
Spring
Southwest=]
A little desert plant, about three inches tall, more or less downy all
over, the upper leaves and buds covered with soft white down and the
lower leaves dark green and stiff, tipped with a bristle. The tiny
flowers have a blue corolla, varying from sky-blue to almost white,
with a yellow throat and white stamens, and although they are too small
to be conspicuous, the effect of the bits of blue on the desert sand is
exceedingly pretty.
[Sidenote: =Small Prickly Gilia=
_Gília púngens_
=White
Summer
California=]
This resembles Alpine Phlox in general effect, but the corolla is
funnel-form instead of salver-form, for the lobes do not spread
so abruptly. The many stems are woody below, a few inches high,
and crowded with leaves, which are dull green, stiff, and cut into
needle-like divisions, which look like single leaves, about half an
inch long. The flowers are pretty and fragrant, half an inch across,
white or pale pink, often with purplish streaks on the outside, with
rounded lobes, the edge of each overlapping the next, and yellow
anthers, not projecting from the throat of the corolla. This forms
loose mats on rocky ledges, at high altitudes.
[Sidenote: _Gília multicàulis_
=Lilac
Spring
California=]
A rather pretty little plant, about eight inches tall, with several
slender, slightly hairy stems and leaves cut into very narrow
divisions. The little flowers are pale lilac, quite delicate and
pretty, though not conspicuous, and form clusters at the tips of the
branches. This sometimes grows in quantities in the hills of southern
California and is variable.
[Illustration: Downy Gilia--G. floccosa.
G. multicaulis.