FRINGED GILIA (Gilia dianthoides, Endl.). Flowers f inch 

 across or more, pinkish or lilac paling to white, with a yellow 

 throat; funnel-form, the satiny corolla lobes fringe- toothed. 

 Leaves opposite, narrowly linear or thread-like. A low an- 

 nual, simple or branching from the base, often only an inch or 

 two high and rarely if ever more than 6 inches; blooming from 

 February till May, on sunny grassy mesas and in sandy 

 washes of Southern California. 



The Fringed Gilia is one of the choicest of spring annuals, 

 and the sunny spaces where it grows are sometimes spangled 

 for acres with the exquisite blossoms. The vital energy of the 

 little plant goes aboundingly into the generous, showy flowers, 

 in comparison with which the leaves and stems are insignifi- 

 cant in fact, quite hidden by them, It has been introduced 

 into cultivation both in this country and abroad under the 

 name Fenzlia dianthiflora, Benth., and several varieties are 

 employed in edgings and rockwork. 



162 



