Family: Hydrophyllaceae,
Waterleaf
Genus: Phacelia
Description
General: perennial with a taproot and usually a branched
stem base. Stems usually several and more or less similar,
trailing to almost erect, up to 50 cm tall. Herbage generally
more or less silvery with fine, short, loose hairs, sometimes
also with small bristles, mostly ascending or flat except
among the flowers.
 Leaves: prominently veined, all entire or sometimes
some of them with a pair of small side lobes or leaflets at
the base of the blade. Basal leaves tufted and persistent,
narrowly to broadly elliptic, stalked, the ones on the stem
alternate, progressively reduced and becoming stalkless.
 Flowers: numerous in usually rather short and compact,
coiled clusters. The 5 calyx lobes stiff-hairy on the edges.
Corolla dull whitish to lavender or dull purple, 4-7 mm long
and broad, with 5 short, rounded lobes. The 5 filaments
conspicously protruding, usually with long, soft hairs near
the middle.
Flowering time: May-August.
 Fruits: capsules, 2-chambered, with 2 to several seeds
per chamber.
Distribution
In dry, open places at all elevations, often in sand, in w., c.
and s.e. parts of MT. Also from s. B.C. and Alberta to CA,
CO and w. NE. |
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