[1] It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent slopes and peaks in the southernmost Cascade Range.

[2] It grows in coniferous forests in gravelly and rocky substrates.

Phacelia racemosa is an annual herb growing erect with a stem reaching up to 18 centimeters tall.

The leaves are linear or lance-shaped and measure 1 to 4 centimeters long.

The inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of small bell-shaped flowers.