It is native to California, where it can be found in many of the coastal mountain ranges, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada foothills; its distribution extends into Baja California.

Phacelia ciliata is an annual herb growing erect to a maximum height near half a meter.

The branching or unbranched stem is glandular and lightly hairy.

The oblong or oval leaves are up to 15 centimeters long, the larger ones divided into lobed or toothed leaflets.

Each funnel- or bell-shaped flower has deeply veined, hair-lined sepals and a blue corolla with a pale throat.