Duration: Annual

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Leafy annual or biennial, stems erect or ascending, relatively stout, 20-50 cm tall, herbage densely silvery-pilose; often in large colonies.

Leaves: Mostly coarsely pinnatifid, 6-14 cm long, with 3-7 broad lobes or divisions, each lobe coarsely toothed, soft.

Flowers: Spreading scorpioid inflorescence, sepals linear to oblanceolate to 3 mm long, exceeding the capsule; corolla campanulate, blue to lavender, 4-5 mm long, lobes entire or nearly so.

Fruits: Pods, ovoid with corrugate or crenate seeds.

Ecology: Found in open places, in sandy or rocky soils from 3,500-4,500 ft (1067-1372 m); flowers April-June.

Notes: Often found in large colonies, with ragged looking, but soft leaves. Note also the broad terminal leaflet, and 1 or 2 pairs of leaflets below. This species requires collection to sort out not only its taxonomy, but also clarify its distribution in the region. USDA Plants DB does not place this species in Arizona, so a collection is critical to clarify its presence.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Etymology: Phacelia from Greek phacelo- for bundle, while congesta means congested.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010