Phacelia campanularia

Phacelia campanularia is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common names desertbells,[1] desert bluebells,[2] California-bluebell,[3] desert scorpionweed,[4] and desert Canterbury bells.[5] Its true native range is within the borders of California,[2][6][4] in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, but it is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant and it can be found growing elsewhere[7] as an introduced species.

Phacelia campanularia

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Phacelia
Species:
P. campanularia
Binomial name
Phacelia campanularia

Description

This annual herb has an erect stem reaching 0.7 metres (2.3 ft) in maximum height. It is covered in glandular hairs. The leaf blades are somewhat rounded with toothed edges. The inflorescence is a loose cyme of flowers. The flower has a bright blue corolla up to 4 centimeters long which can be bell-shaped, funnel-shaped, or round and flattened. It can have white spots in the throat. The protruding stamens and style can be 4.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a capsule up to 1.5 centimeters long.[8]

Taxonomy

Two subtaxa are usually recognized, called subspecies[2] or varieties.[8] They can intergrade in some areas.[8]

  • Phacelia campanularia ssp. campanularia – limited to the Sonoran Desert
  • Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis – more common, with a wider range, and sometimes with larger flowers

Chemistry

The anthocyanin pigment phacelianin was isolated from the flowers of this species and is involved in the formation of their blue color. It is also responsible for the blue of the flowers of Evolvulus pilosus.[9]

The juice, sap, or hairs may cause irritation or a skin rash and should be washed from skin as soon as possible.[10]

  • Form
  • Seedlings
  • Flower
  • ssp. vasiformis

References
  1. "Phacelia campanularia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  2. Phacelia campanularia. Calflora.
  3. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. Phacelia campanularia. NatureServe. 2012.
  5. Phacelia campanularia. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. University of Texas at Austin.
  6. "Phacelia campanularia". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  7. Phacelia campanularia. USDA PLANTS.
  8. Phacelia campanularia. The Jepson Manual.
  9. Mori, M., et al. (2006). Structure of anthocyanin from the blue petals of Phacelia campanularia and its blue flower color development. Phytochemistry 67(6), 622-29.
  10. "Toxic Plants (by common name)". Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants. University of California. Retrieved 10 November 2020.


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