Rock phacelia is a perennial species that might often be taken for Phacelia imbricata which it strongly resembles.  Its several stems are ascending to erect, and stiff-hairy. The leaves arise mostly at the base, and are petiolate, lanceolate to oblanceolate in outline, and pinnately lobed into acute divisions with the upper cauline leaves being basically entire.  There is disagreement about the number of lobes, with Munz saying 3-7 and the Jepson Manual saying 7-11(15), but the number probably decreases from bottom to top.  The inflorescence as with all phacelias is a dense, generally one-
sided scorpioid cyme with the flowers on short pedicels.  The calyx lobes are linear to narrowly ovate and are not overlapping when in fruit as is the case with P. imbricata, while the corollas are ± campanulate with spreading lobes as opposed to the more cylindrical corollas with incurved lobes of imbricata.  The corollas are white to cream with hairy exserted stamens and an exserted style.  Rock phacelia can be found in the Western Transverse Range and the San Gabriels Mts on dry slopes and flats and in chaparral and woodland, blooming from May to June.  This photograph was taken in Malibu Creek State Park.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Phacelia 2) egena.
Pronunciation: fa-SEEL-ee-a eh-JEEN-a.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.