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Lacy Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia
  
15 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) 15 Nurseries Carry This Plant Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is an annual herb in the Boraginaceae (Borage) family. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but it is now used in many places in agriculture as a cover crop, a bee plant, an attractant for other beneficial insects, and an ornamental plant.

It is planted in vineyards and alongside crop fields, where it is valued for its long, coiling flower clusters of nectar-rich flowers which open in sequence, giving a long flowering period. It is a good insectary plant, attracting pollinators such as honey bees. It is also attractive to hoverflies (family Syrphidae), which are useful as biological pest control agents because they eat aphids and other pests.

The wild form is hairy and coated in stiff hairs. The leaves are mostly divided into smaller leaflets deeply and intricately cut into toothed lobes, giving them a lacy appearance.

The very hairy flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue and lavender. The seeds will germinate only in darkness.

The genus Phacelia has a very large number of species; most are annuals. Look for species appropriate to your area and garden conditions.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual herb

Size
Size
2 - 4 ft tall
1.5 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Very attractive to insects, especially bees and hover flies

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Megalographa biloba Image
Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba
*
Amblyptilia pica Image
Geranium Plume Moth Amblyptilia picaAmblyptilia pica
*
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana
*
Areniscythris brachypteris Image
Oso Flaco Flightless Moth Areniscythris brachypterisAreniscythris brachypteris
*
Clepsis fucana Image
Clepsis fucanaClepsis fucana
*
Annaphila ida Image
Annaphila idaAnnaphila ida
*
Ethmia brevistriga Image
Ethmia brevistrigaEthmia brevistriga

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 15

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sandy soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use for spaces between chaparral shrubs along with other annuals or perennial herbs such as Poppy (Eschscholzia or Papaver spp.), Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Cream Cups (Platystemon californicus), and with geophytes such as Onion (Allium spp.), Mariposa Lily (Calochortus spp.), and Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum). Also useful around various cacti and succulents such as Dudleya spp.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Sow outdoors in late fall or germinate in cool temperatures (59° to 70°F) in darkness first 24 hours. (Schulz and Klein 1963).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sandy gravelly slopes, open places in chaparral or woodland below 7500 feet.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 50.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.12" - 2.33", Coldest Month: 35.8" - 59.9", Hottest Month: 58.3" - 88.3", Humidity: 0.47" - 39.44", Elevation: 3" - 8167"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Tansy-leafed Phacelia


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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