Phacelia inyoensis

Inyo phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Inyo phacelia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in the eastern Sierra Nevada in alkaline meadow margins and desert scrub seeps at elevations of 1,100 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces pale yellow flowers in small, delicate clusters about 2 to 3 millimeters long. Growing as a low-spreading plant 3 to 10 centimeters tall with stems that branch at the base and are covered in short stiff hairs, it has a distinctive compact growth habit. Its leaves are small, ranging from 5 to 20 millimeters long, with elliptic to obovate blades that are either entire or slightly lobed. The fruit is a small oblong structure 3 to 4 millimeters long, containing 18 to 25 tiny seeds.

Habitat: Alkaline meadow margins, seeps in desert scrub

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1100-3200 m

Bioregions: SNE.

California counties: Inyo, Mono, San Diego

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