Phacelia insularis var. insularis

Northern channel islands phacelia, Northern Channel Islands Phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2 · Endangered

Northern channel islands phacelia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in northern Channel Islands including Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands in coastal sand dunes at elevations of sea level to 200 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces delicate pale blue to lavender flowers with rotate corollas 6 to 12 millimeters wide. Growing with generally erect stems reaching 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms slender, branching habit typical of desert or coastal annual plants. Its leaves are pinnately divided, creating a fine, lacy appearance with multiple small leaflets that help the plant blend into sandy coastal environments. The fruit contains small seeds approximately 1 to 1.5 millimeters long, adapted to wind dispersal in its open, exposed island habitat.

Habitat: Sand dunes

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: < 50-200 m

Bioregions: n ChI (Santa Rosa, San Miguel islands).

California counties: Santa Barbara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.