Flower profile

Notch-leaf scorpionweed

Phacelia crenulata

Native in the lower 48

Notch-leaf scorpionweed 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–April.

7states

2of our state lists

10,640U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, Nevada

Quick look

Phacelia crenulata is a species of flowering plant in the waterleaf family, Hydrophyllaceae. Its common names include notch-leaf scorpion-weed, notch-leaved phacelia, cleftleaf wildheliotrope, and heliotrope phacelia. Phacelia crenulata has an antitropical distribution, a type of disjunct distribution where a species exists at comparable latitudes on opposite sides of the equator, but not at the tropics.
From Wikipedia's article Phacelia crenulata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Boraginaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 7 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona and Nevada. ^NatureServe
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–April. ^iNaturalist
In Nevada, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,207 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #42 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 787 research-grade sightings of it in Nevada, ranking #46 among the 110 flowers on our Nevada list. ^iNaturalist

Notch-leaf scorpionweed gift ideas

Handmade notch-leaf scorpionweed 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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Notch-leaf scorpionweed art print
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Notch-leaf scorpionweed mug
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Notch-leaf scorpionweed earrings
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Notch-leaf scorpionweed embroidery pattern
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Notch-leaf scorpionweed sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (6,403 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Arizona	Native	January–April	2,207
Nevada	Native	February–May	787

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
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: S3, vulnerable in Arizona. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Nevada. ^{NAC 527.010}
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.

Please leave it where it grows

Please don't pick or dig this flower: NatureServe ranks it S3 in Arizona. ^NatureServe

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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 notch-leaf scorpionweed in 7 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

Arizona counties with USDA records: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

Nevada counties with USDA records: Churchill, Clark, Elko, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Washoe, White Pine.

More Arizona flowers

Distant phacelia

Phacelia distans

Native

🌼 Blooms in AZ: February–April

Alkali heliotrope

Heliotropium curassavicum

Native

🌼 Blooms: March–October

Frémont's phacelia

Phacelia fremontii

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PHCR.
iNaturalist, Phacelia crenulata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Phacelia crenulata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
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).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Phacelia crenulata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Isaac Krone via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.