Phacelia parryi

Parry's phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Parry's phacelia is a California native annual found in southern coastal ranges, southwestern California, and western desert edges in open gravelly areas, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral at elevations below 2,400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces violet to purple flowers with a distinctive white crescent-shaped spot at the base of each petal, forming small clusters on stems up to 10 to 20 millimeters long. Growing 10 to 100 centimeters tall with stiff, hairy stems that can be reclining or erect, it spreads with few branches and a variable growth habit. Its leaves are 10 to 120 millimeters long, oblong to ovate in shape with irregular tooth-like edges, positioned along the stem with blades shorter than or equal to their petioles. The plant produces fruits 6 to 10 millimeters long with a conspicuous beak, bearing 40 to 90 small, shallowly pitted seeds.

Habitat: Open gravelly areas, slopes, coastal-sage scrub, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 2400 m

Bioregions: SCoRI, SW (exc ChI, w WTR), w edge D

California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Monterey, Amador, Alameda, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo

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