Phacelia imbricata
Imbricate phacelia
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Phacelia imbricata (Imbricate phacelia) is a native California subshrub in the Hydrophyllaceae family, recognized by Perennial; dissected basal leaves + overlapping unequal fruiting calyx lobes.
Imbricate phacelia is a California native perennial herb found in rocky or open habitats, likely in coastal and mountain regions, at moderate elevations. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces delicate white to lavender flowers with bell-shaped corollas approximately 4 to 7 millimeters long. Growing 20 to 120 centimeters tall with stiff, often glandular-hairy stems, it develops a distinctive growth habit with primarily basal leaves. Its leaf blades are narrowly lanceolate to ovate, typically 50 to 150 millimeters long, deeply dissected with prominent veins and occasionally featuring entire distal leaves. The fruit is a small, narrowly ovoid structure 3 to 4 millimeters long, covered in stiff hairs and typically containing one to three seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Perennial; dissected basal leaves + overlapping unequal fruiting calyx lobes
Habitat and range
California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Lake, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Monterey, San Benito, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Calaveras, Sacramento, Solano, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Napa, Lassen, Madera, Butte, Mendocino, Alameda, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Santa Clara, Tulare, Placer, El Dorado, Stanislaus, Amador, Nevada, Tehama, Sutter, San Joaquin, Trinity, Merced, Yolo, Siskiyou, San Mateo, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Cruz
How to tell it apart
vs Nemophila: Phacelia has flowers in coiled scorpion-tail clusters; Nemophila has solitary showy flowers at leaf axils.; vs Eucrypta: Phacelia is typically non-sticky with seeds that fall out cleanly; Eucrypta feels very sticky and retains 1-2 seeds in fruit.; vs Pholistoma: Phacelia has coiled flower clusters; Pholistoma has flowers scattered along stems with backward-pointing stem bristles.; vs Echium: Phacelia has coiled clusters of small flowers; Echium has large showy blue-purple flowers in tall spike-like clusters.; vs Gilia: Phacelia has coiled flower clusters and bristly foliage; Gilia has flowers in round heads or loose clusters with smoother foliage.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phacelia imbricata native to California?
Yes. Phacelia imbricata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Phacelia imbricata grow?
Phacelia imbricata occurs in Kern, Los Angeles, Lake, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Orange and other counties.
What plant family does Phacelia imbricata belong to?
Phacelia imbricata is in the Hydrophyllaceae family, genus Phacelia.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.