Phacelia ranunculacea

Phacelia ranunculacea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Phacelia
Species:	P. ranunculacea
Binomial name
Phacelia ranunculacea (Nuttall) Constance

Phacelia ranunculacea, the oceanblue phacelia^[1] or western buttercup phacelia, is a North American species of annual forbs in the borage family. It is native to a small area of the eastern United States in the valleys of the Mississippi River and lower Ohio River.^[2] In this region, it is found in bottomland and floodplain forests.^[3] It produces a pale blue flower in early spring.

Phacelia ranunculacacea was previously considered a synonym of Phacelia covillei, but was separated from it in 2006 based on chromosonal, morphological, and geographical evidence. P. ranunculacacea differs from P. covillei in terms of midstem pubecense and terminal leaf shape.^[4]

References

1. "Phacelia ranunculacea". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
2. "Floristic synthesis map" (PNG). Bonap.net. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
3. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States
4. Sewell, M., and M. A. Vincent. 2006. Biosystematics of the Phacelia ranunculacea complex (Hydrophyllaceae). Castanea 71: 192–209.