Aliciella formosa
(Aztec gilia, beautiful gilia)
[taxon report][distribution map][photos][line drawing]
Family: Polemoniaceae
Scientific Name: Aliciella formosa (Greene ex A. Brand) J.M. Porter
Synonyms: Gilia formosa Greene
Vernacular Name: Aztec gilia, beautiful gilia
R-E-D Code: 1-2-3
Description: Perennial, 7-30 cm tall, older plants woody at the base, glandular; stems numerous, branched; leaves entire, 25 mm long, sharp-pointed; flowers pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped, about 22 mm long. Flowers April and May.
Similar Species: Aliciella formosa is a perennial with a woody base and entire leaves. Aliciella haydenii and A. subnuda have herbaceous stems and pinnatifid leaves.
Distribution: New Mexico, San Juan County, near Aztec and Bloomfield.
Habitat: Salt desert scrub communities in soils of the Nacimiento Formation; 1,500-1,950 m (5,000-6,400 ft).
Remarks: Aliciella formosa is only found growing in soils derived from the Nacimiento Formation and is often found with Sclerocactus cloveriae ssp. brackii, another rare plant found in San Juan County. Small populations of A. formosa have been found northwest of Farmington.
Conservation Considerations: Aliciella formosa occurs in an area of intense oil and gas exploration and development. Populations in these disturbed sites appear to recover over time. This plant does not transplant well and is difficult to raise from seed.
Important Literature (*Illustration):
*New Mexico Native Plants Protection Advisory Committee. 1984. A handbook of rare and endemic plants of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Porter, J.M. 1998. Aliciella, a recircumscribed genus of Polemoniaceae. Aliso 17(1):23-46.
Information Compiled By: Ken Heil, Joey Herring, 1999
Agency Status:
