| Baby blue eyes | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Nemophila |
| Species: | N. menziesii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nemophila menziesii | |
Nemophila menziesii, known commonly as baby blue eyes or baby's-blue-eyes,[1] is an annual herb, native to western North America.[2][3]
The plant is native to California, Baja California, and Oregon.[2]
It grows virtually throughout California at elevations from sea level up to almost 6,500 feet (2,000 m). It grows in many types of habitats, including chaparral, valley grasslands, and montane locales.[3][2]
Nemophila menziesii is variable in appearance. Lower leaves are stalked, lobed and oppositely arranged, 10–50 millimetres (0.4–2.0 in) with five to thirteen lobes, each entire or with one to three teeth. Upper leaves are more or less sessile and less lobed than lower. The stalk of the inflorescence is 20–60 millimetres (0.8–2.4 in). Calyx lobes are 4–8 millimetres (0.2–0.3 in). The flower is blue with a white center or all white, usually with blue veins and black dots near the center. It is 6–40 millimetres (0.2–1.6 in) wide. The tube is less than or equal to the filaments.
The species includes three varieties:[3]
It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant, as annual wildflower in native plant, water conserving, traditional, and wildlife gardens.
It can occasionally be found outside its native range as an introduced species, such as in Alaska.[4]
