General: Desertbells (Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis) is an upright annual forb with roundish leaves and large, bright blue tubular flowers. The leaves are green with red margins.

Desertbells is a common component of desert vegetation communities south of Las Vegas. Around Las Vegas, look for this species in Mojave Desert Scrub (Upper Sonoran Life Zone) in the Mojave National Preserve.

Family: Waterleaf (Hydrophyllaceae).

Other Names: Desert Canterbury Bells.

Plant Form: Upright, herbaceous annual; leaves mostly basal.

Height: To about 18-inches high.

Stems: One, upright; glandular.

Leaves: Roundish with red margins; glandular.

Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Flowers tubular, blue; large (1.5 inches) for a phacelia.

Seeds:

Habitat: Dry, rocky, gravel soils.

Elevation: To about 4,000 feet.

Distribution: California deserts.

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