Plant Image
Flowers


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Phacelia alba - white phacelia, white scorpion weed

Synonyms: Phacelia neomexicana var. alba
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Hydrophyllaceae


   
 
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Leaves
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Desert Botanical Garden Herbarium, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual   Similar Species: Phacelia denticulata, P. heterophylla
General Desc: Hairy plant with upright to curved stems that are single or branched. Green leaves have narrow lobes and appear feather-like. Small bell-shaped flowers are crowded along 1 side of the blooming stalk causing the tip to curl over like a scorpion's tail.
Identification notes: Hairy and glandular throughout; stems usually stout, erect or curved upwards; leaves pinnately divided with narrow lobes; flowers white to pale bluish, in coiled elongated clusters, stamens and styles protrude; seeds excavated on one side, not ridged.
Height: To about 2-1/3 feet


Habitat

Habitat Description: Sandy, gravelly, loamy (sand, silt and clay mixture) soils, open brush and woodlands, meadows, roadsides, riparian areas; sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine-Douglas fir and spruce-fir forests.
Plant Communities: Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 5500 - 8500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: White to pale bluish     Shape: Bell-shaped in elongated clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: May - Aug
Description: Flowers are 1/8 to 3/16 inch long, bell-like and grow in dense clusters along 1 side of the blooming stem so that the tips hook over like a coiled scorpion's tail. Stamens extend 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches beyond the petals on slender white thread-like stalks.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Round or oval     Leaf Margin: Lobed     Leaf Attachment: Basal and alternate     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Leaves are oval in outline with the blades growing 3/4 to 4 inches long and 3/4 to 3 inches wide. The blades have deeply divided narrow lobes with the leafstalks as long as or shorter than the blades. Leaf surfaces are hairy and often gland-dotted.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Yellowish-brown to brownish   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: The fruit is a dry, 2-sectioned capsule that splits lengthwise when mature to release the seeds.
Seed Notes: Seeds may be few to many, are brown and about 1/8 inch long with honeycomb-like indentations (pitted) evenly spread across their surface.



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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