phacelia

American  

[fuh-see-lee-uh] / fəˈsi li ə /

noun

1. any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Phacelia, of the waterleaf family, chiefly of the western U.S. and Mexico, having clusters of violet, blue, or white flowers.

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phacelia British  

/ fəˈsiːlɪə /

noun

1. any plant of the mostly annual American genus Phacelia, esp P. campanularia, grown for its large, deep blue bell flowers: family Hydrophyllaceae

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Etymology

Origin of phacelia

< New Latin (1789), equivalent to Greek phákel ( os ) bundle (referring to the clustered flowers) + New Latin -ia -ia

Example Sentences

For example, crimson clover and phacelia are relatively easy to incorporate into the soil.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2021

One of the cousins’ fields had been split into two strips, the first left bare after harvest, the second planted with phacelia, rye and radish.

From The Guardian • Feb. 25, 2020

Thanks to Southern California’s wet winter, the Santa Monica Mountains are alive with luminous purple phacelia and bright blue lupine flowers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2019

Sally Theriault, who manages the visitor center, said the park’s wildflowers — including desert sunflowers, notch-leaved phacelia and spectacle pod — had already come to life.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2017

And soon comes the iris, with its broad golden eye fringed with rays of lavender blue; and five varieties of phacelia overwhelm some places with waves of purple, blue, indigo, and whitish pink.

From Our Italy by Warner, Charles Dudley