About Phacelia pedicellata A.Gray
Phacelia pedicellata is a species of flowering plant in the Hydrophyllaceae family. Its common names are specter phacelia and pedicellate phacelia. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it grows in multiple habitat types, including creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland. This plant is an annual herb that produces a mostly erect stem that reaches up to 50 centimeters in length. It is glandular and covered in stiff hairs that cause dermatitis when touched, similar to the hairs of many other phacelias. Its leaves grow up to 12 centimeters long, with rounded or oval blades; the largest leaves are divided into 3 to 7 leaflets. The inflorescence is hairy, glandular, and forms a one-sided curving or coiling cyme made up of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is approximately half a centimeter long, and can range in color from pink to blue. There are reports that the glandular hairs on the stems, flowers, and leaves of P. pedicellata secrete oil droplets that can cause an unpleasant skin rash (contact dermatitis) in some people.
