Lacy phacelia, Blue tansy or Purple tansy, Phacelia tanacetifolia, Boraginaceae.


Lacy phacelia, Blue tansy or Purple tansy, Phacelia tanacetifolia, Boraginaceae. Phacelia tanacetifolia is an annual that grows erect to a maximum height near 100 cm (40 in) with none to a few branches. The wild form is glandular and coated in short stiff hairs. The leaves, 20–200 mm (1–8 in), are mostly divided into smaller leaflets which are deeply and intricately cut into toothed lobes, giving them a lacy appearance. The dense and hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue and lavender. Each flower is just under a centimeter long and has protruding whiskery stamens. Native to the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is most common in the deserts of southern California. It is used outside its native range in agriculture as a cover crop, a bee plant, an attractant for other beneficial insects, as a green manure and an ornamental plant.


Size: 3330px × 4326px
Location: Knocking Hoe Nature Reserve, Bedfordshire, UK
Photo credit: © Florapix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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