Phacelia submutica

Phacelia submutica is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Hydrophyllaceae known by the common name De Beque phacelia. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the Piceance Basin in two counties. It is threatened by petroleum exploration. It was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States on July 27, 2011, a ruling which took effect on August 26, 2011. This plant is sometimes treated as a variety of the more common Phacelia scopulina. It was first collected in 1911 at De Beque, Colorado. It is an annual herb with a stem just a few centimeters long that lies flat on the ground, producing a small clump of leaves. The leaves are often reddish in color and measure up to 1.5 centimeters in length. They are covered in short, stiff hairs. The tiny tubular flowers are cream-colored or yellowish with a purple tinting. The plant is known only from Garfield and Mesa Counties in western Colorado. There are 39 occurrences, but 13 have not b......read more on Wikipedia.