Phacelia sericea (Silky Phacelia, Blue Alpine Phacelia, or Sky-pilot) is a showy perennial species of Phacelia endemic to western North America. Uncommon, it grows mainly at subalpine to alpine elevations in forest openings or above treeline among rocks and sand. It is listed by the Federal Highway Administration as a native species suitable for landscaping along roadsides in Colorado. Sericea comes from the Latin sericeus, or silky, referring to the fine hairs on the leaves and stem. Phacelia sericea consists of several upright or ascending stems to 0.6 meter (2 feet) from a tap-rooted, branched woody base. Its leaves are pinnatifid with cleft or entire segments. The basal leaves are somewhat larger than the upper cauline leaves and are more persistent and petiolate. The leaves and stems are generally covered with silvery silky hairs but are scarcely hairy. The flower cluster consists of several short panicles, tightly packed, at the end of the stem, resembling a bottle-brush. The dark blue to purple bell-shaped corolla is 4-6 millimeter across. It is hairy inside and out but not hairy. The filaments are two to three times as long as the corolla and give the flower cluster a fuzzy appearance. The anthers are bright yellow or orange and the style is shortly cleft. The fruit consists of two-chambered capsules with 8 to 18 seeds.