Globe Gilia

Did you know

• Each flower head is actually a dense globe of 50–100 individual tiny tubular flowers packed together like a pincushion, a form called a capitate inflorescence.
• The species name capitata means 'head-like' in Latin, directly describing the spherical cluster of blooms.
• It is a premier native bee plant of the California foothills and western mountains, providing nectar to dozens of specialist bee species.
• Globe gilia reseeds itself abundantly in favorable conditions and is widely used in western wildflower seed mixes for meadow restoration.
• The genus Gilia is named for Felipe Luis Gil, an 18th-century Spanish naturalist — a rare case of a plant genus commemorating a Spanish colonial scientist.

Color meanings

Uses

• ornamental
• wildflower meadow
• bee forage
• native plant restoration