Phacelia mustelina

Death valley round-leaved phacelia, Death Valley Round-Leaved Phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Death valley round-leaved phacelia is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in the desert mountains in gravelly or rocky slopes, creosote-bush scrub, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations below 2,100 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces violet to purple flowers with a yellow tube and lavender to purple throat, approximately 6 to 10 millimeters long. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems 6 to 30 centimeters tall, it is many-branched and covered in short, stiff hairs with glandular surfaces. Its leaves are approximately 10 to 40 millimeters long, round-shaped with irregular teeth, and broadly spread along the stem. The small fruits are ovoid, 3 to 4 millimeters long, and contain 20 to 60 finely pitted seeds.

Habitat: Gravelly or rocky slopes, creosote-bush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 2100 m

Bioregions: DMtns

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo

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