Notch-leaved Phacelia
(Notch-leaf Scorpion-weed
Phacelia crenulata
Photographed near Signal Mountain in the Gila Bend Mountains, March 5, 2017.
FLOWERS: Blue-purple flowers appear mid spring in response to adequate
rain. Dormant or growing very small in dry years. Five stamens and the style
are prominently exserted from the throat of the corolla.
SPRING ANNUAL: Ephemeral spring annual appearing in the Sonoran Desert
late Feb. to early May.
FRUIT: A round capsule with several seeds (often 4).
LEAVES: Pinnatifid
leaves crenulate margins.
STEMS: Entirely herbaceous and ephemeral usually less than
½ m tall. The stems are covered with short, glue-tipped hairs.
RANGE: Common across the Sonoran Desert on rocky slopes and near washes. Several varieties have been described.