# Purple Phacelia (*Phacelia bipinnatifida*) Purple Phacelia is a beautiful flower with lovely purple petals. It blooms in spring and attracts many bees and butterflies, making gardens colorful and lively! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 5 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Purple Phacelia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Phacelia_bipinnatifida.jpg&width=800) Photo: User:Halpaugh, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phacelia_bipinnatifida.jpg) ## Appearance The Purple Phacelia has striking, deeply lobed green leaves and vibrant lavender-purple, bell-shaped flowers arranged in one-sided coiled clusters. Its blossoms feature prominent stamens that extend beyond the petals, giving them a fuzzy appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Boraginales - **Family:** Hydrophyllaceae - **Genus:** Phacelia ## Interesting facts - It's a fast grower, often germinating and blooming all within a single spring season! - Its name, Phacelia, comes from a Greek word meaning 'bundle,' for its clustered flowers! - The Purple Phacelia's flower stalks uncurl like a fern fiddlehead as new flowers open! - This plant is sometimes grown by farmers as a 'green manure' to improve soil health naturally. ## Special abilities - **Nectar Power-Up:** Purple Phacelia can produce abundant nectar that helps it attract many busy insect pollinators for reproduction. - **Coiled Display:** Purple Phacelia has unique one-sided coiled flower stalks that help it showcase many blooms at once. - **Seed Sprinter:** Purple Phacelia can self-seed readily, helping it spread and establish new plants easily in suitable areas. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-60 cm - **Spread:** 20-30 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — Feeds on nectar, aiding pollination - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on leaves and stems ## Traits - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch flowers unless you're with an adult. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Purple Phacelia? 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 tall is Purple Phacelia? 30-60 cm ### How wide does Purple Phacelia spread? 20-30 cm ### How big are the flowers on Purple Phacelia? 0.5-1.5 cm ### When does Purple Phacelia bloom? Spring to early summer ### Is Purple Phacelia edible? No ### Is Purple Phacelia toxic? None ### What is Purple Phacelia's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Concord](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/concord) — Tennessee, US · Neighborhood - [Market Square](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/market-square) — Tennessee, US · Historic District - [Danville Courthouse Square Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/danville-courthouse-square-historic-district) — Indiana, US · Historic District - [Kentenia State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kentenia-state-forest) — Kentucky, US · Forest - [Martin State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/martin-state-forest) — Indiana, US · Forest - [Birmingham Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/birmingham-botanical-gardens) — Alabama, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see Purple Phacelia](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/purple-phacelia) ## 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: [Purple Phacelia: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/purple-phacelia)