Frémont's phacelia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frémont's phacelia |
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| Genus: |
Phacelia
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| Species: |
fremontii
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Phacelia fremontii, also known as Frémont's phacelia, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Boraginaceae family, which includes many other interesting plants. This plant naturally grows in the southwestern United States.
You can find Frémont's phacelia in several parts of California. Its home includes the dry Mojave Desert, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the Coast Ranges, and the tall Sierra Nevada mountains. The plant was named after John C. Frémont, an American explorer.
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Discovering Frémont's Phacelia
Frémont's phacelia is an annual plant, meaning it completes its entire life cycle in just one year. It grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies, all within a single season. This plant has a pleasant smell and can grow up to about 30 centimeters (12 inches) tall. Its stems can either spread out along the ground or stand upright.
What Does It Look Like?
The plant's stems are often covered with tiny hairs. Near the flowers, these hairs can be glandular, meaning they produce a sticky substance. The leaves of Frémont's phacelia are quite interesting. They are deeply cut or divided into several rounded sections, much like tiny leaflets. These leaves can be between 15 and 50 millimeters (about 0.6 to 2 inches) long.
The Unique Flowers
The flowers of Frémont's phacelia are shaped like a funnel or a bell. They can be about 1.5 to 2 centimeters (0.6 to 0.8 inches) long. You might see them in shades of blue, pink, or purple. A cool feature of these flowers is their bright yellow center, which creates a lovely contrast. Before the flower opens, it is protected by small, leaf-like structures called calyx lobes. These lobes are usually 3 to 5 millimeters long and are covered with short, glandular hairs.
Where It Grows Best
This phacelia prefers to grow in sandy or gravelly soils. It thrives in different types of natural areas. You can often spot it in scrub lands, which are areas with many small bushes and shrubs. It also grows well in grasslands, where grasses are the main type of plant. These habitats are common in the southwestern United States, where the plant is native.
