General: Gilias (Gilia spp.) are annual forbs that generally grow from basal leaves (broad or narrow, dissected or not) and have a short flower stalk, usually with tiny, 5-petaled flowers. There are many species of Gilia, and many are hard to identify to species.

Gilias are common components of desert vegetation communities in washes and other gravelly and rocky soils, primarily in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones.

Family: Phlox (Polemoniaceae).

Plant Form: Basal leaves (broad or narrow, dissected or not) with a flower stalk and usually tiny flowers.