Phacelia umbrosa

Colorado desert phacelia

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Colorado desert phacelia is a California native annual found in the Peninsular Ranges in chaparral and oak/pine woodland at elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces pale blue to lavender flowers in small, narrowly bell-shaped clusters. Growing 15 to 45 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect weak stems that branch and are sparsely stiff-hairy, it develops an open inflorescence that becomes dense toward the top. Its leaves are approximately 25 to 90 millimeters long, with ovate blades that are generally compound and have crenate to lobed segments. The fruit is a small ellipsoid structure 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters long, containing 2 to 4 pitted seeds.

Habitat: Uncommon. Chaparral, oak/pine woodland

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1000-1600 m

Bioregions: PR

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