# Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed (*phacelia crenulata*) The Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata) is a striking annual wildflower native to the arid desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is renowned for its vibrant, violet-blue, bell-shaped blossoms clustered in coils that resemble a scorpion's tail, which gives the plant its descriptive common name. While beautiful to behold in the spring when desert superblooms paint the landscape, this plant carries a potent secret: its foliage is coated in glandular hairs that secrete irritating oils, capable of causing a severe, itchy skin rash similar to poison ivy for unsuspecting hikers and botanists. Despite this fierce defense, it serves as a critical early-season resource for desert pollinators, offering vital nectar when few other plants are in bloom. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Found in dry, sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils of desert flats, washes, and slopes, typically within the Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin deserts. ![Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/505803800/medium.jpg) Photo: Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/505803800) ## Appearance This annual herb typically grows upright from 10 to 80 centimeters tall. It features dark green, deeply lobed or notched leaves with wavy margins that are covered in sticky, glandular hairs. The most distinctive feature is its terminal coiled flower stalks that unfurl as the blossoms open. The flowers themselves are bell-shaped, measuring about 6 to 10 millimeters across, with deep violet-purple to blue petals and prominent, long-exserted stamens that extend far beyond the corolla, giving the flower cluster a delicate, fuzzy appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Boraginales - **Family:** Boraginaceae - **Genus:** Phacelia ## Interesting facts - Despite being toxic or highly irritating to most mammals, it is a crucial early spring food source for specialized desert bees. - The common name 'Scorpionweed' refers to the tightly coiled flower clusters which strongly resemble the curved tail of a scorpion. - Touching the plant can cause a severe rash (allergic contact dermatitis) indistinguishable from poison ivy, caused by glandular secretions. ## Special abilities - **Scorpioid Unfurling:** Coiled flower spikes slowly unfurl to ensure sequential blooming, maximizing pollination success over an extended period in unpredictable desert conditions. - **Chemical Defense:** Glandular trichomes secrete geranylhydroquinone, a sticky oil that causes painful contact dermatitis to deter grazing mammalian herbivores. - **Seed Dormancy:** Seeds have a long-lived viability that allows them to remain dormant in desert soils for years, germinating only when winter rainfall thresholds are met. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 10-80 cm - **Lifespan:** 1 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photoautotrophic plant, it produces its own energy through photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Carbon dioxide, Water, Soil nutrients ## Ecological connections - **Mutualism:** [Blue Orchard Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-orchard-bee) (*Osmia lignaria*) — Provides essential nectar and pollen during early spring to native desert bees. - **Eaten by:** [Desert Tortoise](https://www.snappit.app/explore/desert-tortoise) (*Gopherus agassizii*) — Desert tortoises sometimes feed on the vegetation despite the irritating hairs. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed? 10-80 cm ### How long does Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed live? 1 years ### What does Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed eat? As a photoautotrophic plant, it produces its own energy through photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. ### Where is Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed usually found? Found in dry, sandy, gravelly, or rocky soils of desert flats, washes, and slopes, typically within the Mojave, Sonoran, and Great Basin deserts. ## Where to spot - [Rainbow Basin](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rainbow-basin) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Rodman Mountains](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rodman-mountains) — California, US · Natural Landmark - [Eagle Borax Works](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/eagle-borax-works) — California, US · Historic Site - [Calico Early Man Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/calico-early-man-site) — California, US · Historic District - [Riverside Mountains](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/riverside-mountains) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Trona Pinnacles](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/trona-pinnacles) — California, US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/notch-leaf-scorpionweed) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Notch-Leaf Scorpionweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/notch-leaf-scorpionweed)