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Lacy Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia
  
About Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) 16 Nurseries Carry This Plant Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is an annual plant whose lovely lavender-blue flowers are very attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects. The flowers are bell-shaped with long stamens that protrude beyond the petals. The flowers grow in clusters at the top of the stem. The deeply cut leaves give this plant its lacy appearance. Lacy Phacelia is a valuable pollinator plant and is especially favored by bees. It also attracts hoverflies, beneficial insects that eat aphids and other pests.

Lacy Phacelia is often planted in vineyards and next to crops because its nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. It is also used as a bee-friendly cover crop on organic farms. In the garden, it does best in full sun and well-draining sandy soil. This plant has a fast growth rate. Be aware that some people can experience skin irritation after touching this plant.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - the University of Texas at Austin. (n.d.). https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHTA,%20https://www.xerces.org/blog/midsummer-management-of-crop-pests-and-pollinators
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Annual herb

Size
Size
2 - 4 ft tall
1.5 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Very attractive to insects, especially bees and hover flies

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers sandy soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use for spaces between chaparral shrubs along with other annuals or perennial herbs such as Poppy (Eschscholzia or Papaver spp.), Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii), Cream Cups (Platystemon californicus), and with geophytes such as Onion (Allium spp.), Mariposa Lily (Calochortus spp.), and Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum). Also useful around various cacti and succulents such as Dudleya spp.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment. Sow outdoors in late fall or germinate in cool temperatures (59° to 70°F) in darkness first 24 hours. (Schulz and Klein 1963).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 11*, 12*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Sandy gravelly slopes, open places in chaparral or woodland below 7500 feet.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.4" - 50.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.12" - 2.33", Coldest Month: 35.8" - 59.9", Hottest Month: 58.3" - 88.3", Humidity: 0.47" - 39.44", Elevation: 3" - 8167"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Tansy-leafed Phacelia


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


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