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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Nemophila menziesii (Baby blue eyes)
Cox, Fran

Nemophila menziesii

Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn.

Baby Blue Eyes, Menzies Baby Blue Eyes

Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: NEME

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (I)

A small, trailing annual, 6 in. tall and 1 ft. wide, Menzies baby-blue-eyes is well-known for its bright-blue, five-petaled, bowl-shaped flowers with white centers. These occur in clusters at branch tips. The branches and deeply cut leaves are hairy.

One of the most charming and best-known spring wildflowers in California, it is often included in commercial wildflower seed mixtures and has been cultivated in England for more than a century. Closely related is the equally delightful Fivespot (N. maculata) of central California, with white petals, each with a large blue-violet spot at the base.

 

From the Image Gallery

13 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 6 inches tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Blue
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AK , CA , NV , OR
Native Distribution: Willamette V., OR; Coast Ranges through CA south into Baja California
Native Habitat: Mt. meadows; moist woods; cool, north slopes

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Moist, fertile soils.
Conditions Comments: This is a quick and easy annual which does best if given afternoon shade.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Propagation

Description: Broadcast seed in fall in warm-winter areas; spring in cold-winter areas. Cool temperatures (less than 70 degrees) are necessary for uniform germination. Darkness for the first 3 days also improves uniformity.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 36 - Jepson eFlora (2019) The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Nemophila menziesii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Nemophila menziesii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Nemophila menziesii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-20
Research By: TWC Staff

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