Phacelia tanacetifolia – Fiddleneck – Scorpion Weed

Description

Phacelia – Scorpion Weed – There are 150-200 usually erect annual, biennials, and perennials in the Boraginaceae family, in this genus. They occur in variable habitats, including stony slopes, scrub,, and woodlands, in Western North America and South America. They range in size from 6″ tall to 5′ feet tall and produces, sometimes downy, pinnate, sometimes simple leaves are broadly ovate to elliptic or linear, and mostly alternate, the lower ones sometimes opposite. They bear terminal cymes, racemes, or panicles of 5 petaled, tubular, bell shaped, or bowl shaped, blue, violet, white, or yellow flowers, each with 5 narrow, spreading lobes, and with prominent styles and stamens. The annual species are suitable for a border or wildlife garden, their nectar rich flowers attract bees and other insects. They resent winter moisture. Contact with foliage may aggravate skin allergies similar to Poison Ivy and Oak. Grow annual in any light, fertile, well drained soil in full sun. Protect from winter moisture. Prone to downy mildew, powdery mildews, rust, and leaf spots. P. tanacetifolia – Fiddleneck – This erect, hairy annual found from California to Mexico grows 6″-4′ feet tall and 18″ wide. It produces pinnatifid to 2 pinnatifid or pinnate, mid green leaves, to 10″, composed of lance shape lobes or pinnae. In summer it bears dense, curved racemes of spreading, bell shaped, blue or lavender blue flowers, to ½” across. Widely planted by organic gardeners as a way to attract hoverflies for aphid control. Zones 5-10