Aztec Gilia (Aliciella formosa)

Photo Credit: Vida Svahnstrom

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Polemoniaceae
State: NM, NN
Nature Serve ID: 135541
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/10/1987

Description:

Aztec gilia is a rare herbaceous perennial from northwestern New Mexico. Diminutive in size, it is only 7-30 cm tall. This perennial can develop a woody base, and has numerous, branched stems. Leaves are entire, 25 mm long, glandular, and sharp-pointed. Flowers are a lovely pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped, and about 22 mm long. Flowering occurs in late April and May. Endemic to clay-like soils of the Nacimiento Formation, this species was previously a Gilia, and then was placed into the Aliciella genus in 1998 by Mark Porter. (New Mexico Rare Plants Technical Council. 1999)

Where is Aztec Gilia (Aliciella formosa) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Salt desert scrub communities in soils of the Nacimiento Formation; 1,500-1,950 m (5,000-6,400 ft). (New Mexico Rare Plants Technical Council. 1999)

Distribution:

New Mexico, San Juan County, near the towns of Aztec and Bloomfield. (New Mexico Rare Plants Technical Council. 1999)

States & Provinces:

Aztec Gilia can be found in Navajo Nation, New Mexico

Which CPC Partners conserve Aztec Gilia (Aliciella formosa)?

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

08/16/2020

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. (New Mexico Rare Plants Technical Council. 1999) The Bureau of Land Management asked an oil/gas company to remove Aliciella formosa for mitigation purposes. The plant was moved to a greenhouse for one year and then transplanted back into the field. Only 12 percent of the plants survived. It was advised that agencies should generally avoid transplanting for mitigation purposes since these projects rarely succeed. (US Army Corps of Engineers. 1997)

08/16/2020

Seed banking attempts have been made by The Arboretum at Flagstaff and the BLM, but were unsuccessful due to timing and low seed set (2006). (Sheila Murray, 2006).

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Although over 140 occurrences of this plant have been recorded for the U.S., it is a very narrow endemic; dependent on soil type. Locally it can be very abundant but the degree of development and disturbance makes its distant future less than secure.