Humble gilia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Humble gilia |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Linanthus
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| Species: |
demissus
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Linanthus demissus, also known as the humble gilia or desertsnow, is a tiny flowering plant. You can find it growing in the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States. It grows from southeastern California all the way to Arizona and southern Utah.
What is the Humble Gilia?
The humble gilia is an annual plant. This means it completes its whole life cycle, from seed to flower to seed, in just one year. It's a small plant, usually growing only 2 to 10 centimeters (about 1 to 4 inches) tall. Its stems often creep along the ground.
What Does It Look Like?
The stems of the humble gilia are a bit fuzzy. Its leaves grow in pairs, opposite each other on the stem. Each leaf is about 6 to 10 millimeters long and 1 to 2 millimeters wide. They have pointy tips.
The plant produces small, fragrant white flowers. These flowers are only a few millimeters wide. Their petals twist, looking a lot like a tiny windmill. A cool way to tell this plant apart from others is by the two small purple lines or wedges. These marks are found at the base of each petal.
Where Does It Grow?
When it's not flowering, the humble gilia can be hard to spot. It blends in very well with gravel and small rocks. You can often find it growing on limestone desert floors. It also likes sandy areas where water flows, called washes.
You might see many of these plants around famous places. These include Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. These areas are located south of Interstate 15.
