Phacelia neomexicana is an upright herb with stamens exserted from the corolla. The stems are glandular near the inflorescence. The corolla is erose-dentate (has irregular margins) and the flowers are purple.

General: Annual, 8-70 cm tall; stems simple or sparsely branched, erect, often reddish, pubescent with short, stalked glandular hairs and longer bristles; taprooted.

Leaves: Basal and cauline, alternate, oblong to elliptic in outline, 3-8.5 cm long, 1-4.5 cm wide, pinnately divided, with the divisions further lobed or incised, pubescent and more-or-less glandular; petiole 1.5 cm long or less.

Flowers: Inflorescence of helicoid cymes, elongate, narrow, somewhat wand-like, densely bristly to shortly pubescent; flowers several to many; calyx 5-parted, cleft nearly to the base, the lobes linear, 3-4 mm long; corolla 5- parted, campanulate, 3-6 mm long, white, yellowish white, or purplish; stamens and style exserted; flowers April- October.

Fruits: Capsule, oval to elliptic, 4-5 mm long, 3 mm wide, bristly and glandular; mature seeds 4, oblong, about 3 mm long, brown.

Ecology: Pine and oak woods, in rocky to sandy soils; 2050-2750 m (6800-9000 ft); Apache, Coconino, Mohave, and Pima counties; Arizona and New Mexico.

Notes: Phacelia alba (white phacelia) [=P. neomexicana var. alba], a closely related species, differs primarily in having white or pale purple flowers with longer stamens (exserted 2-4 mm beyond the corolla lobes) and style (equaling or a little longer than the stamens). It is found in Apache, Cochise, Coconino, and Navajo counties at 1800-2900 m (6000-9500 ft).

Editor: Springer et al. 2008