"Ipomopsis" means "similar to Ipomoea" (Morning Glories, one of which has a tubular red flower).

     The word "Gilia" is pronounced "Gee lee uh", because the plant was named for Italian clergyman and scientist, Filippo Luigi Gilii (gee lee ee).  (See biographical information.)

Click for more Ipomopsis tenuituba photographs.

Semi-desert, foothills, montane. Woodlands, meadows, openings. Spring, summer, fall.
Mesa Verde National Park, near entrance, May 16, 2001.

Scarlet Gilia is one of our most widely spread and common wild flowers, occurring from the lowest elevations to high mountains and blooming all summer. The finely cut green basal leaves are silver speckled with fine white hairs and are a common late summer and early spring sight. (See below).  Flowers range from fiery red to red/orange.  Early flower buds look similar to the Penstemon, Scarlet Bugler, another very common, long-blooming, bright red flower in our area.

The species name "aggregata", is from the Latin for "brought together", probably referring to the cluster of flowers.

Scarlet Gilia was first described by Frederick Pursh in 1814 from a specimen collected by Meriwether Lewis near the Missouri River on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Pursh called it Cantua aggregata and the plant has endured dozens of scientific name changes since then.

Semi-desert, foothills, montane. Woodlands, meadows, openings. Spring, summer, fall.
Roaring Fork Road, June 29, 2006.

Notice the stamens and anthers protruding beyond the throat of the flower.  This is one key factor distinguishing I. aggregata from I. tenuituba (see below).

Semi-desert, foothills, montane. Woodlands, meadows, openings. Spring, summer, fall.
Ryman Creek Trail, May 18, 2006.

The basal, green, finely cut leaves of Scarlet Gilia are a common sight from the Pinyon-Juniper forests to mountain meadows. The leaves over-winter so they, like the basal leaves of Pterogonum alatum (Winged Buckwheat), are familiar sights to many hikers.  A close inspection of Scarlet Gilia leaves will show glistening silvery hairs along the surface.