Phacelia californica
Encyclopedia
Phacelia californica is a species of phacelia
known by the common names California phacelia and California scorpionweed. It is native to coastal northern California
and Oregon
, where it grows in chaparral
, woodland, and coastal bluffs and grassland.
It is a perennial herb growing decumbent or erect, its branching stems reaching up to 90 centimeters long. It is roughly hairy in texture. The leaves are up to 20 centimeters long, the lower ones divided into several leaflets. The dense, hairy inflorescence
is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many bell-shaped flowers. Each white or pale blue to lavender flower is under a centimeter wide.
This native wildflower is a food source for the Mission blue butterfly
, an endangered species
endemic to San Francisco.
Phacelia
Phacelia is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants, native to North and South America....
known by the common names California phacelia and California scorpionweed. It is native to coastal northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it grows in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, woodland, and coastal bluffs and grassland.
It is a perennial herb growing decumbent or erect, its branching stems reaching up to 90 centimeters long. It is roughly hairy in texture. The leaves are up to 20 centimeters long, the lower ones divided into several leaflets. The dense, hairy inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many bell-shaped flowers. Each white or pale blue to lavender flower is under a centimeter wide.
This native wildflower is a food source for the Mission blue butterfly
Mission blue butterfly
The Mission Blue is a blue or lycaenid butterfly subspecies native to the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. The butterfly has been declared as endangered by the US Federal Government. It is a subspecies of Boisduval's Blue .- Description :The endangered Mission Blue has a wingspan of...
, an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
endemic to San Francisco.
See also
- California chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia chaparral and woodlandsThe California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
- California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregionCalifornia coastal sage and chaparral ecoregionThe California coastal sage and chaparral, a sub-ecoregion of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, is found in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California in Mexico.-Location:...