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.
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.
VIOLET