Scarlet Gilia
(Ipomopsis aggregata)
Scarlet Gilia
Found in a variety of habitats, from grassland meadows to rocky slopes, Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) provides a dramatic display of red trumpet-shaped flowers from early summer until frost. Also known as Scarlet Gilia, Scarlet Trumpet, and Skyrocket, this member of the Phlox family was first collected by Lewis and Clark along the Lolo trail in Northern Idaho. The name “Gilia,” pronounced with a soft “g,” was originally the plant's genus name and comes from Filippo Luigi Gilii (1756-1821) Italian naturalist and clergyman. The newer genus name Ipomopsis derives from Greek words meaning "striking appearance.”
Found mainly in the central and western regions of North America, Scarlet Gilia ranges from British Columbia to Mexico at most elevations. The plants prefer full sun and dry, sandy soils, and are not tolerant of wet ground.
Considered a biennial, plants form an attractive rosette of pinnate (leaflets opposite along a central stem), finely dissected green leaves, which are covered with fine hairs. They can remain in the rosette form for one to several growing seasons. Plants are monocarpic (blooming only once) then usually dying, dispersing seeds to start a new generation.
Flowers appear on a leafless stalk rising from one to four feet above the basal leaf rosette. These trumpet-shaped flowers are usually arranged on one side of the stalk and vary in color from the most common orange-red to shades of pink or white. They consist of a thin tube extending 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches from a crown of five small sepals. At the end they burst into five pointed petals that curl backwards resembling the bell of a trumpet. Yellow stamens extend beyond the flare of the petals. Hummingbirds, moths and other insects with long tongues, probe the flowers for nectar and carry pollen from plant to plant.
Its ornamental beauty and long bloom time make Scarlet Gilia a colorful addition to a rock garden or flower bed as long is it is not overwatered. Getting it started takes several years due to its biennial nature, but it is well worth it. In the spring following a bloom year look for seedlings with finely divided leaves that form into lacy rosettes. Let them develop for blooms in the next year or two. Eventually you should have a patch with both blooming plants and rosettes.
Highly drought tolerant and generally free from disease and pests, Scarlet Gilia bloom stalks are attractive to native wildlife including deer and elk. However, once nibbled down, the plant compensates by creating new flowering stalks, increasing its bloom potential.
Pictures and a description of Scarlet Gilia are found on page 183 of Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle, a KNPS publication available at local bookstores and the Bonner County History Museum. Additional native plants can be viewed at the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, 611 S Ella St. in Sandpoint.
Native Plant Notes are created by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. To learn more about KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, explore www.nativeplantsociety.org.