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Boraginaceae
Fern-leaf Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Beckoning the bees.
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Genus
- Phacelia
- Native to
- Southwestern United States, Mexico
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- annual herb
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- dry to moderately moist, well-drained
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 3-11
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- It is widely considered one of the best honey-bee forage plants in temperate agriculture, producing abundant nectar that bees find irresistible.
- Farmers in Europe now sow it as a 'companion crop' and green manure, improving soil nitrogen and providing bee forage simultaneously.
- The coiled, fiddlehead-like flower clusters unroll progressively as blooms open, a feature botanists call a 'scorpioid cyme.'
- The deeply divided, fern-like leaves give the plant its common name and make it highly ornamental even before it flowers.
- Phacelia contains compounds that cause contact dermatitis in some people — sensitive gardeners should wear gloves when handling it.
Color meanings
0
community
1
generosity
2
pollinator paradise