Phacelia hastata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Its common names include silverleaf scorpionweed,[1] silverleaf phacelia,[2] and white-leaf phacelia.[3] It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and east to Nebraska.[1] It can be found in many types of habitat, including scrub, woodland, and forest, up to an elevation of 13,000 feet.[4] It prefers sandy to rocky soil.[5]

Phacelia hastata

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Phacelia
Species:
P. hastata
Binomial name
Phacelia hastata
Synonyms

Phacelia alpina
Phacelia frigida
Phacelia leucophylla

Description

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Phacelia hastata is a variable perennial herb with a stem 5 to 92 centimeters (2 to 36 in) long.[6][5] It is coated in a fine, silvery pubescence.[3] The deeply veined, gray-green leaves are lance-shaped to oval, and smooth-edged, lobed, or divided into leaflets.[6] Most of the leaves are in a tuft around the base of the plant.[3] The flowers are arranged in cymes, blooming in early summer.[5] They have an urn- or bell-shaped white or lavender fused corolla about 4 to 7 millimeters long. The stamens protrude.[5] The fruit is a hairy capsule a few millimeters in length.[6]

There are up to four accepted varieties:[2][7]

  • P. hastata var. charlestonensis – Charleston phacelia, Spring Mountains phacelia; endemic to Nevada[8]
  • P. hastata var. compacta – compact phacelia, timberline phacelia; a matlike form occurring at elevation[9]
  • P. hastata var. dasyphylla – spearshaped phacelia; limited to California and Oregon[10]
  • P. hastata var. hastata – silverleaf phacelia; rangewide[11]
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References

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  1. ^ a b c NatureServe (2023). "Phacelia hastata". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Phacelia hastata. USDA PLANTS.
  3. ^ a b c Phacelia hastata. Burke Museum. University of Washington.
  4. ^ Phacelia hastata. Calflora.
  5. ^ a b c d Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 170. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  6. ^ a b c Phacelia hastata. The Jepson Manual.
  7. ^ Phacelia hastata. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  8. ^ Phacelia hastata var. charlestonensis. Nevada Natural Heritage Program. State of Nevada.
  9. ^ var. compacta. The Jepson Manual.
  10. ^ var. dasyphylla. NatureServe. 2012.
  11. ^ var. hastata. The Jepson Manual.
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