Varileaf Phacelia Flower Varileaf Phacelia Stem Varileaf Phacelia Leaves Varileaf Phacelia Plant

Wildflowers of Southern Arizona


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Varileaf Phacelia.
Phacelia heterophylla.
Borage (Boraginaceae) family.

A biennial or short-lived perennial plant with a slender taproot and a single (when biennial) erect, stout stem from 20-120 cm high or surrounded at the base by several lesser stems when an annual. The stems are typically simple but may occasionally have many short side branches. The herbage is grayish-green with short, often bristly hairs. The leaves are prominently veined with long petioles on the lower leaves and the stem leaves with shorter stems. One or two smaller pairs of leaflets or lobes may be found at the base of each leaf although a few leaves may be entire margined. These leaflets are always smaller than the lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaf blade which varies from 7-15 cm long. The numerous spreading to erect inflorescences, which make up a significant part of the height of the plant, are curled cymes which are densely bristly. The calyx is up to 5-7 mm long in fruit with 5 linear to linear-oblanceolate lobes. The corolla consists of dull whitish to purplish flowers with filaments which are much longer than the corolla which is approximately 3-6 mm long and wide.

Santa Catalina Mountains
Mt. Bigelow
Location: Adjacent to chain link fence at base of tower.
9/8/16

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