Click for blue Hydrophyllaceae.

Foothills, montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Lower Stoner Mesa Trail, May 26, 2004.

Protruding, pin-cushion-like stamens are characteristic of this family.  But even this distinction is not enough to attract attention to Fendler’s Waterleaf which usually goes unnoticed, because it is most often buried in a mass of greenery in moist Aspen woods.  It is, however, very common and easy to find.  The plant tends to be broader than tall with flowers protruding just above the large, arching leaves.

Linnaeus named this genus in 1753.  The species name honors Augustus Fendler (1813-1883), naturalist and Southwestern explorer.  Fendler collected this plant in 1846-47 in the mountains above Santa Fe.  (More biographical information.)

Foothills, montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Court House Trail above Owl Creek Pas, July 15, 2007.

Stamen filaments are sometimes a lovely, light lavender.

Foothills, montane. Woodlands. Spring.
Burro Bridge Trail, July 6, 2007.

Flowers turn brown and hairy seeds develop.

Foothills, montane. Woodlands, openings. Spring, summer.
Priest Gulch Trail, June 29, 2005.

Sometimes omitted from flower books, Phacelia heterophylla is none-the-less a fairly common plant in our area.  It is easily overlooked because of its overall "just green" look.  A careful examination will show it to be as fascinating as other members of the Waterleaf Family with their protruding stamens and coiled, scorpion tails.  All parts of the plant are very hairy.  Plant height ranges from five to thirty inches.

"Heterophylla" is Greek for "different leaves", referring to the varying shapes and sizes of the plant's leaves.

Phacelia heterophylla was first collected by Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and was named by Frederick Pursh in his Flora Americana in 1814.

Foothills, montane. Woodlands, openings. Spring, summer.
Prairie Dog Knoll Trail, Abajo Mountains, Utah, June 25, 2004.
Priest Gulch Trail, June 29, 2005.

Phacelia heterophylla flower heads first appear as tight green spheres, 

white flowers open from the sphere,

and eventually the sphere opens into an arching scorpion tail and flowers fade to rusts.

Phacelia ivesiana
Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf Family)

Semi-desert.  Shrublands, openings.  Spring, summer.
Devil's Garden Trail, Arches National Park, Utah, May 4, 2005.

Phacelia ivesiana is fairly common, but often unobserved, in the Pinyon Pine/Utah Juniper under-story.  It also grows, as pictured here, in open sandy areas.  In early spring it is just under two inches tall, but it often grows to eight inches.

The plant was named by John Torrey in 1860 for Eli Ives, Professor of Pharmacy at Yale.  (More biographical information.)  "Phacelus" is Greek for "bundle" and refers to the clusters of flower branches.

Phacelia ivesiana
Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf Family)

Semi-desert.  Shrublands, openings.  Spring, summer.
Devil's Garden Trail, Arches National Park, Utah, May 4, 2005.

Flowers are quite tiny, yellow throated, and in the typical Phacelia scorpion tail arrangement (although this is often very difficult to notice because the flowers are so small), but in a manner not so characteristic of Phacelias, the stamens and styles do not extend beyond the floral tube.  The plant is prominently hairy, often sticky hairy as can be seen by the clinging sand particles.