Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Chaparral shrubland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

A chaparral wildflower native to Southern California and Baja California, bearing clusters of violet-blue bell-shaped flowers on curling stems. A classic fire-follower, it bursts into bloom in spectacular numbers the spring after a wildfire scorches the hillsides.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Boraginales

Family

Boraginaceae

Genus

Phacelia

Species

Phacelia minor