Phacelia nashiana

Charlotte's phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Charlotte's phacelia is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native annual found in southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains eastern slope, and western edge of the Mojave Desert in sandy to rocky, granitic east-facing slopes with Joshua-tree or pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations below 2,400 meters. Flowering from February to June, this delicate plant produces bright blue flowers with white-throated blue corollas 10 to 20 millimeters wide, creating distinctive blue-and-white blossoms. Growing 3 to 18 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems that are short-stiff-hairy and glandular, it develops a compact, often simple to slightly branched form. Its leaves are primarily basal, widely ovate to nearly round, measuring 15 to 70 millimeters long with irregular crenate or lobed edges. The fruit is an ovoid structure 7 to 14 millimeters long, extending beyond the calyx and containing 40 to 90 small, shallowly pitted seeds.

Habitat: Sandy to rocky, granitic e-facing slopes, generally Joshua-tree or pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Feb-Jun

Elevation: < 2400 m

Bioregions: s SNH, Teh (e slope), w edge DMoj.

California counties: Kern, Inyo, San Diego, Merced

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