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Plant Profile

DeBeque Phacelia (Phacelia submutica)

A flower of Phacelia submutica Photo Credit: J. Creed Clayton

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Hydrophyllaceae
State: CO
Nature Serve ID: 159456
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/09/1992

Description:

Phacelia scopulina (A. Nelson) J.T. Howell var. submutica (J.T. Howell) Halse, the Debeque phacelia, is an annual forb of the Hydrophyllaceae family. It is a candidate for Federal listing and is ranked as Imperiled by NatureServe. It is also known as Phacelia submutica. This species forms a small rosette of reddish leaves, with minute cream flowers that bloom from late April to June. No evidence of this annual remains from one year to the next.

Where is DeBeque Phacelia (Phacelia submutica) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Phacelia scopulina var. submutica is found on sparsely vegetated, steep exposures of barren, racked clay soils of the Wasatch Formation (Atwell Gulch and Shire Members). The soil often has large cracks due to the high shrink-swell potential of the clays. Elevation range is 1400-1900 m.

Distribution:

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program currently acknowledges 27 occurrences of Phacelia scopulina var. submutica, but due to their close proximity, this may actually reflect far few populations. This

States & Provinces:

DeBeque Phacelia can be found in Colorado

Which CPC Partners conserve DeBeque Phacelia (Phacelia submutica)?

Denver Botanic Gardens

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Annual plant with a very small range, and extremely variable population numbers. Threats include oil and gas development, as well as off-road vehicles and grazing.

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

Phacelia scopulina var. submutica is very vulnerable to habitat changes, especially surface disturbances such as trampling of soil. Main threats to this species are oil and gas activity, off-road vehicle use, and grazing. Oil shale development would be a

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

There are over 25,000 individuals documented, but these plants are seed-banking annuals and the numbers of visible plants vary drastically from year to year, making it difficult to determine a reliable population estimate.

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

Not Available

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

Populations of Phacelia scopulina var. submutica are located within an Area of Critical Environmental Concern on Bureau of Land Management Land that is also designated a Colorado Natural Area by the Colorado Natural Areas Program.

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

Not Available

Laura Smith

01/01/2010

Not Available