Fremont's Phacelia
Phacelia fremontii
Color: Blue to violet
Common name: Fremont's phacelia
Latin name: Phacelia fremontii
Family: BORAGINACEAE
Height: 2.5-12 inches
Description: Phacelia fremontii is an annual plant with a funnel- to bell-shaped tube and flowers that are blue to lavender with a yellow throat, 7-15 mm long (rarely to 20 mm). The decumbent to erect stem is branched at base, minutely hairy and generally glandular.
Leaf: The deeply lobed or compound leaves are 1.5-5 cm long and are oblong to oblanceolate (having a broad rounded apex and a tapering base.)
Range: Mojave Desert, s Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, e San Francisco Bay Area, Inner South Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, East of Sierra Nevada
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils, scrub, grassland
Elevation: < 2300 m.
Flowering time: Mar–Jun
Notes: Phacelia fremontii, is a dicot that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. It was named for explorer John C. Fremont. These photographs were made March 24, 2004 in the Cuddeback Lake area, San Bernardino County, California and Feb. 26, 2005, in Short Canyon, Kern County, California.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
Related DesertUSA Pages
- How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Survival Tool
- 26 Tips for Surviving in the Desert
- Death by GPS
- 7 Smartphone Apps to Improve Your Camping Experience
- Maps Parks and More
- Desert Survival Skills
- How to Keep Ice Cold in the Desert
- Desert Rocks, Minerals & Geology Index
- Preparing an Emergency Survival Kit
- Get the Best Hotel and Motel Rates
Share this page on Facebook:
The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms
