Latin name: Gilia latiflora (A. Gray) A. Gray ssp. latiflora
Pronunciation: JEE-lee-a (or GIL-ee-a*) la-ti-FLOR-a
Common name: Broad-flowered gilia
Family: Polemoniaceae (Phlox)
Habitat: Sandy soils of washes, creosote bush scrub and joshua tree woodland, from 2500' to 4000' in the Mojave Desert
Blooming period: April to May
Name derivations: 1) Gilia 2) latiflora
*When an epithet is derived from a personal name, an attempt should be made to preserve the pronunciation of the original name, which in this case is Gilii. In Italian a ‘g’ before an ‘i’ has a soft rather than a hard sound, and ‘i’ is pronounced as ‘ee’, so Gilia should properly be said as ‘JEE-lee-uh.’ Most people however will continue to say it as GIL-ee-a.
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