Flower profile
Distant phacelia
Phacelia distans
Distant phacelia is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona, California
Quick look
Phacelia distans is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrophyllaceae, known by the common names distant phacelia and distant scorpionweed. It is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it grows in many types of habitat, including forest, woodland, chaparral, grassland, and meadows.
- It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to California and Arizona. NatureServe
- In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–May. iNaturalist
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 17,456 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #32 among the 110 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,535 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #60 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
Distant phacelia gift ideas
Handmade distant phacelia gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Distant phacelia art print
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Distant phacelia greeting card
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Distant phacelia mug
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Distant phacelia earrings
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Distant phacelia embroidery pattern
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Distant phacelia sticker
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Native | January–May | 17,456 |
| Arizona | Native | February–April | 1,535 |
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed Not listed under the Endangered Species Act. USFWS ECOS does track it with the label “Species of Concern,” which is informal and gives no legal protection. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- California
- Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records distant phacelia in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Wisconsin.
California counties with USDA records: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma.
More California flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PHDI.
- iNaturalist, Phacelia distans: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Phacelia distans (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
- California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Phacelia distans (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Joseph Rojas via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.