Phacelia vallis-mortae
Encyclopedia
Phacelia vallis-mortae is a species of phacelia
known by the common name Death Valley phacelia. It is native to the Southwestern United States
, where it grows in deserts such as Death Valley
, mountains, plateau, and valley scrub habitat.
It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall with a branching or unbranched stem. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and most are compound, divided into smaller leaflets lined with teeth or lobes. The hairy inflorescence
is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower 1 to 1.5 centimeters long and a shade of lavender or purple, surrounded by a calyx of narrow sepal
s coated in long hairs.
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 name Death Valley phacelia. It is native to the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, where it grows in deserts such as 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...
, mountains, plateau, and valley scrub habitat.
It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall with a branching or unbranched stem. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and most are compound, divided into smaller leaflets lined with teeth or lobes. The hairy 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 1 to 1.5 centimeters long and a shade of lavender or purple, surrounded by a calyx of narrow sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s coated in long hairs.