desert pale gilia, Aliciella hutchinsifolia, California, White Mountains, McAfee Creek, Fishlake Valley drainage, elevation 1638 m (5375 ft).

This is an example of a self-armoring desert annual species. The sticky (and aromatic) exudate of dense glands on the leaves and lower stems captures wind-blown sand grains, which then help to protect the plant from further sand-blasting, and to moderate the effects of intense solar radiation, evaporative loss, and potential herbivores. Many other desert annuals employ this same strategy, which uniquely adapts them to survival in sandy habitats.

This species is widespread in such habitats of the Mojave Desert, southern Great Basin, and adjacent Colorado Plateau of southeastern California, south and central Nevada, south and west Utah, and northwest and central Arizona.