Taxon Report

Gilia capitata Sims. ssp. chamissonis (Greene) V. Grant

blue coast gilia

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Gilia capitata ssp. chamissonis, commonly known as blue coast gilia, is a annual herb in the Polemoniaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal dunes, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 2 to 200 meters. Gilia capitata ssp. chamissonis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Gilia capitata Sims. ssp. chamissonis (Greene) V. Grant
Common Name:	blue coast gilia
Family:	Polemoniaceae
Element Code:	PDPLM040B3
USDA Plants Symbol:	GICAC
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jul	Apr-Jul
Elevation:	2-200 (5-655)
General Habitats:	Coastal dunes, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_UCBG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	37
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	6
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	4
Unknown (U)	20

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN), San Francisco (SFO), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arched Rock (3812342)*, Bodega Head (3812331), Bolinas (3712286), Drakes Bay (3812218), Duncans Mills (3812341), Inverness (3812217), Oakland West (3712273), Point Bonita (3712275), San Francisco North (3712274), San Francisco South (3712264), Tomales (3812228), Valley Ford (3812238)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	6
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	21	57 %
Non-native plant impacts	14	37%
Development	5	13%
Foot traffic/trampling	5	13%
Grazing	4	10%
Erosion/runoff	2	5%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	2%

Notes



Threatened by urbanization, recreational development, and non-native plants. Possibly threatened by trampling. See Erythea 3:105 (1895) for original description, and Aliso 2(3):309 (1950) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 10 May 2025].