Phacelia saxicola

General: Annual, up to 10 cm tall, glandular-pubescent throughout; stems branching from near the base, more-or-less erect; taprooted. Leaves: Cauline, alternate, oblanceolate or spatulate to elliptic or (rarely) ovate, 5-7 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, entire, glandular-pubescent; petiole up to 7 mm long. Flowers: Inflorescence of helicoid cymes, terminal (or occasionally axillary) on stems and lateral branches, the individual inflorescence branches each with 1-3 cymes; sepals linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2.7-4.5 mm long, bristly and glandular; corolla bell-shaped, 4 mm long, 3- 3.5 mm wide, the lobes pubescent and minutely dentate, blue; stamens exserted 1 mm beyond corolla lobes; style slightly shorter than the stamens; flowers July-October. Fruits: Capsule, round-oblong, 2-5 mm long, roughly hairy; seeds numerous, 0.3-0.5 mm long, black. Ecology: Rock crevices and rocky slopes, often on limestone; 1050- 2150 (3500-7000 ft); Mohave and Coconino counties; Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Notes: Easily missed due to its diminutive size and habit of growing in rock crevices, this species is distinctive nonetheless, and is easily distinguished from our other members of Editor: Springer et al. 2008