[Illustration: Phacelia crenulata]
Common names: PHACELIA, SCORPIONWEED, WILD-HELIOTROPE
Arizona desert: (_Phacelia crenulata_). Violet-purple. February-June.
California desert: (_Phacelia distans_). Blue-violet. March-May.
Texas desert: (_Phacelia coerulea_). Violet-purple. March-April.
Waterleaf family. Size: 4 to 16 inches tall.
Although strongly scented, it is not accurate to refer to these annuals
as fragrant, for they are sometimes unpleasant in odor, and occasionally
actually foul-smelling. Some are described as having an onion-like odor.
_P. crenulata_ with its rich, violet-purple flowers is conspicuous
across southern New Mexico, Arizona and California to Lower California.
This species is often called Wild-heliotrope.
The name Scorpionweed comes from the curling habit of the blossoming
flower heads which somewhat resemble the flexed tail of a scorpion in
striking position.
[Illustration: Lycium andersoni
Lycium pallidum]
Common names: SQUAW-THORN, RABBIT-THORN, DESERT-THORN, WOLFBERRY,
SQUAWBERRY, (_TOMATILLO_)
Arizona desert: (_Lycium pallidum_). Green-lavender. April-June.
California desert: (_Lycium andersoni_). Lavender. February-April.
Texas desert: (_Lycium berlanderi_). Lavender-cream. March-September.
Potato family. Size: Thorny shrubs, stiff and brushy, up to 6 feet.
Noticeable in winter because of their off-season greenery and early
flowers which cover the bushes and attract many insects, and attractive
in late spring and summer due to the numerous tomato-colored berries
hanging from their stiff, thorny stems, the Squaw-thorns are widely
distributed throughout the desert.
These plants have contributed much to the subsistence of the Indians,
their insipid, slightly bitter, juicy berries being eaten raw or
prepared as a sauce. These berries are eagerly sought by birds, which
also use the stiff shrubs for cover and for protective roosts at night.
Early spring is the normal blooming season, but some flower again
following summer or early fall rains.