Phacelia malvifolia var. malvifolia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Mallow-leaf phacelia is a California native annual found in northern coastal and central western regions in sandy or gravelly slopes, scrub, chaparral, and conifer forest at elevations up to 1,400 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces delicate lavender to blue flowers in curved clusters that unfurl along the stem. Growing with slender, branching stems 15 to 45 centimeters tall, it spreads across open terrain with a delicate, somewhat sprawling habit. Its soft, broadly lobed leaves range from 2 to 14 centimeters long, with rounded edges that give the plant a distinctive mallow-like appearance. The small seeds, typically one to four per plant, are coarsely textured and measure 2 to 3 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils, slopes, scrub, chaparral, conifer forest

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: NCo, CW

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