Flower profile

Distant phacelia

Phacelia distans

Distant phacelia (Phacelia distans) is a flowering plant in the Boraginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

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 February–April.

5states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

19,044U.S. sightings*

*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.
From Wikipedia's article Phacelia distans, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 February–April. ^iNaturalist
In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 17,456 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #32 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,535 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #60 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (6,624 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	Native	February–April	17,456
Arizona	Native	March–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?

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 distant phacelia in 5 states.

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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.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Phacelia cinerea.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 52 counties across 5 states; the most are in California (35), Arizona (12), Nevada (3).

Other Phacelia on Bloomipedia (8): Notch-leaf scorpionweed, Blue curls, Purple phacelia, Silky phacelia, Miami mist, Frémont's phacelia, Linearleaf phacelia, Gypsum phacelia.

More from the Boraginaceae family (42 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Virginia bluebells, Virginia waterleaf, Pacific hound's tongue, Alkali heliotrope, Virginia stickseed, Wild comfrey, Menzies' baby blue eyes, California yerba santa.

More California flowers

Pacific hound's tongue

Adelinia grandis

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: February–April

Alkali heliotrope

Heliotropium curassavicum

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: May–September

Menzies' baby blue eyes

Nemophila menziesii

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: February–May

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.