Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Phacelia parryi is a species in the Boraginaceae (Forget-Me-Not) family known by the common name Parry's Phacelia. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in coastal and inland mountain ranges and deserts. It is found in many types of local habitats, such as coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and open, recently burned slopes. It is an annual herb growing a mostly erect stem 10 to 70 centimeters long. It is hairy and coated in soft and stiff glandular hairs. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long with toothed oval blades borne on petioles. The flower cluster is a cyme of widely bell-shaped flowers each 1 to 2 centimeters long. The flower is purple in color, sometimes with pale coloration in the throat, and an arrangement of five white spots. The five protruding stamens are hairy and tipped with white anthers. It is typically grown from seed with other annuals.

This species can be easily confused with Phacelia minor, and their ranges overlap, though more easily distinguished when in flower. It should be noted that there are a very large number of species in the genus Phacelia. Most are annuals. Gardeners should look for species appropriate to their area and garden conditions.

Plant type

Annual herb

Size

4 - 28 in Tall
2 ft Wide

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

Calscape icon
Color

Blue, Purple

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil description

Typically sandy, gravelly or rocky.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Propagation

By seed

Site type

Openings in chaparral and coastal sage scrub from the coastal plain to the desert

Plant communities

Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub

Use with other annuals or herbaceous perennials such as Lupinus species, Phacelia species, Clarkia species, Abronia species, Calfornia Buckwheat, White Sage (Salvia apiana), Chinese Houses, California Fuschia

Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 9 likely

Confirmed Likely

Geranium Plume Moth

Amblyptilia pica

Annaphila ida

Oso Flaco Flightless Moth

Areniscythris brachypteris

Orange Tortrix Moth

Argyrotaenia franciscana