Phacelia saxicola

Rock phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Rock phacelia is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native annual found in the northern Desert Mountains and eastern Sierra Nevada on limestone slopes and woodland areas at elevations of 1,000 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces blue to violet flowers in small, narrowly bell-shaped corollas about 3 to 4 millimeters long with white or pale yellow flower tubes. Growing 5 to 15 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems that are many-branched and covered in short stiff hairs, it has a delicate, aromatic appearance. Its leaves are narrow, generally 3 to 10 millimeters long, with blade length equal to the petiole and ranging from narrowly oblanceolate to ovate in shape. The small ovoid fruit is 2 to 3 millimeters long and covered in short stiff hairs, containing 20 to 50 tiny pitted seeds.

Habitat: Limestone slopes, woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: 1000-2300 m

Bioregions: SNE, n DMoj

California counties: Inyo, Mono

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