Practical
Plants

Phacelia tanacetifolia

Fiddleneck

an annual member of the Phacelia genus in the family Hydrophyllaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Used as a green manure crop, but has not as yet (1980) been properly tested in Britain[7]. It is not very deep rooted.

Environment

Range
South-western N. America in California. Often naturalized in Europe[4].
Habitat
Open flats and slopes below 1200 metres[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in situ in late spring or late summer. The plant often self-sows.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position[2]. Prefers a moist soil[1]. The flowers are a rich source of nectar and is occasionally grown commercially as a crop for bees[3][4][5].

References

  1. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

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  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  3. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  4. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  6. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

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  7. Woodward. L. Burge. P. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre. 1982-00-00

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