Phacelia mustelina
Encyclopedia
Phacelia mustelina is an uncommon species of phacelia
known by the common names Weasel phacelia and Death Valley round-leaved phacelia. It is native to the desert mountains and flats of eastern California
(mainly Death Valley
and Inyo County
) and western Nevada
(Nye County
), where it grows in woodland and open scrub habitat.
It is a glandular annual herb growing decumbent or upright to a maximum height around 30 centimeters. The toothed rounded leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long with blades borne on petioles
. The hairy, glandular inflorescence
is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is up to a centimeter long and deep to light purple to nearly white in color.
Phacelia
Phacelia is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants, native to North and South America....
known by the common names Weasel phacelia and Death Valley round-leaved phacelia. It is native to the desert mountains and flats of eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(mainly Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
and Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
) and western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
(Nye County
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
), where it grows in woodland and open scrub habitat.
It is a glandular annual herb growing decumbent or upright to a maximum height around 30 centimeters. The toothed rounded leaves are 1 to 4 centimeters long with blades borne on petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The hairy, glandular inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is up to a centimeter long and deep to light purple to nearly white in color.