Great Valley phacelia
Annual phacelia of California grasslands with lavender-blue flowers; well visited by bees in spring, but far less studied than lacy phacelia.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Great Valley phacelia is an annual phacelia of open grassland and heavy clay soils in California's Central Valley and Coast Ranges. It belongs to the same genus as lacy phacelia, Phacelia tanacetifolia, which beekeepers know well; like it, it has lilac-blue, bell-shaped flowers opening in curled racemes, with protruding stamens. In its homeland it is known to be visited heavily by honey bees and native bees, but its nectar yield has not been measured.
Flowering
In its homeland it flowers from March to May, after the winter rains.
Honey and pollen
It has no honey of its own. Published data on the honey and pollen characteristics of this species are almost non-existent.
Note for the beekeeper
It is hardly grown at all in Europe or Turkey. For beekeepers who want to establish bee forage, Phacelia tanacetifolia, whose seed is readily available and whose yield is proven, is a much safer choice. The values in this record rest on general information at genus level.