Desertbells, Phacelia campanularia

About Desertbells (Phacelia campanularia) 20 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Phacelia campanularia is a species of genus Phacelia known by the common names California bluebell and desertbells. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, and it is commonly cultivated as an ornamental. It is an annual herb growing erect to a maximum height around half a meter, its hairy stem is usually unbranched. The leaves are oval to rounded, toothed, and borne on petioles a few centimeters long. The hairy flower cluster is a curving or coiling cyme of several bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is 1.5 to 4 centimeters long and bright blue to purple in color. There are five protruding stamens with light-colored anthers.

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 Description

Plant Type

Annual herb

Size

1 - 2 ft tall
1 - 2 ft wide

Form

Mounding

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Blue, Purple

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 10 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Geranium Plume Moth Amblyptilia picaAmblyptilia pica

Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Oso Flaco Flightless Moth Areniscythris brachypterisAreniscythris brachypteris

Clepsis fucanaClepsis fucana

Annaphila idaAnnaphila ida

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 20

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0 - 10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil. Soil PH: 7 - 10

Common uses

Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Creosote Bush, Ocotillo, Jojoba, Blue Paloverde, White Bursage, Chuparosa, Barrel Cactus, Desert Lavender, Indigo Bush, Apricot Mallow, Opuntia spp, numerous annual wildflowers

Propagation?

Easy to grow from seeds. Once established, it will self propagate.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Open, sandy or gravelly places

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 2.7" - 32.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.16" - 3.12", Coldest Month: 36.2" - 59.5", Hottest Month: 59.0" - 88.6", Humidity: 1.41" - 39.35", Elevation: 62" - 7877"

Alternative Names

Common Names: California Bluebell, Desert-bells

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Desertbells

Phacelia campanularia

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DesertbellsPhacelia campanularia

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Desertbells

Phacelia campanularia