Nemophila
Encyclopedia
Nemophila is a genus
found in the flowering plant family Hydrophyllaceae
.
Most of the species in Nemophila contain the phrase "baby blue-eyes" in their common names. N. menziesii has the common name of "Baby blue-eyes". N. parviflora is called the "Smallflower baby blue-eyes" and N. spatulata is called the "Sierra baby blue-eyes". An exception to this naming tendency is N. maculata, whose common name is Fivespot.
Nemophila species are mainly native to the western United States
, though some species are also found in western Canada
and Mexico
, and in the southeastern United States
.
Nemophila are commonly offered for sale for garden
cultivation. Generally these are N. menziesii.
s, and most bloom in the spring. Their flower
s have five petals and are bell or cup-shaped, and purple, blue, or white in color, often spotted or marked. The stamens are included and there is only one ovary chamber.
The leaves are simple, with an opposite or alternate arrangement. The petiole is generally bristly. The leaf blade is pinnately toothed or lobed.
The fruit is 2-7 mm wide and generally enclosed by the calyx. The fruit itself is spherical to ovoid in shape. It is also hairy.
The seeds are ovoid, smooth, wrinkled or pitted. At one end there is a colorless, conic appendage.
.
N. menziesii, N. parviflora, and N. pulchella have varieties under each species.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
found in the flowering plant family Hydrophyllaceae
Hydrophyllaceae
Hydrophylloideae is a subfamily of the Boraginaceae family of flowering plants. Their taxonomic position is somewhat uncertain. Traditionally, and under the Cronquist system, they were given family rank under the name Hydrophyllaceae, and treated as part of the order Solanales...
.
Most of the species in Nemophila contain the phrase "baby blue-eyes" in their common names. N. menziesii has the common name of "Baby blue-eyes". N. parviflora is called the "Smallflower baby blue-eyes" and N. spatulata is called the "Sierra baby blue-eyes". An exception to this naming tendency is N. maculata, whose common name is Fivespot.
Nemophila species are mainly native to the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, though some species are also found in western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Nemophila are commonly offered for sale for garden
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
cultivation. Generally these are N. menziesii.
Description
All species of Nemophila are annualAnnual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
s, and most bloom in the spring. Their flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s have five petals and are bell or cup-shaped, and purple, blue, or white in color, often spotted or marked. The stamens are included and there is only one ovary chamber.
The leaves are simple, with an opposite or alternate arrangement. The petiole is generally bristly. The leaf blade is pinnately toothed or lobed.
The fruit is 2-7 mm wide and generally enclosed by the calyx. The fruit itself is spherical to ovoid in shape. It is also hairy.
The seeds are ovoid, smooth, wrinkled or pitted. At one end there is a colorless, conic appendage.
Occurrence
Some of the species of Nemophila are of restricted range. For example, Nemophila menziesii has been observed only in western North America, but chiefly in California. Nemophila heterophylla occurs in a more restricted range within northern and central California (with some proximate state populations); N. heterophylla has the greatest number of sightings Marin County at locations such as Ring MountainRing Mountain (California)
Ring Mountain is an elevated landform on the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County, California. This mountain was named for George E. Ring, who served as a Marin County Supervisor from 1895 to 1903.A number of rare and endangered flora inhabit Ring Mountain...
.
Etymology
Nemophila means “woodland-loving.” It comes from the Latin word nemus, which means "grove" and the Greek word philos, which means "loving".Species
There are 11 species in Nemophila:- Nemophila aphyllaNemophila aphyllaThe Smallflower baby blue-eyes is an annual flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States and typically found in rich, moist woodlands. It has very small white or pale blue flowers, typically about 0.12 inches wide, that bloom from March to...
: Smallflower baby blue-eyes - Nemophila brevifloraNemophila brevifloraNemophila breviflora is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names basin nemophila and Great Basin baby blue-eyes...
: Great Basin nemophila, Basin nemophila - Nemophila heterophyllaNemophila heterophyllaNemophila heterophylla is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name small baby blue-eyes. It is native to Oregon and the northern two thirds of California, where it grows in many types of habitat, from valley chaparral to mountain talus.-Description:It is an annual...
: Small baby blue-eyes, - Nemophila kirtleyi: Kirtley's nemophila
- Nemophila maculataNemophila maculataNemophila maculata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is an annual herb that flowers in the spring. The common name for N. maculata is the fivespot or five-spot. It is a native species to California where it is endemic.The flowers of N. maculata are bowl-shaped,...
: Fivespot, Five-spot - Nemophila menziesii: Baby blue-eyes
- Nemophila parvifloraNemophila parvifloraNemophila parviflora is a dicot in the borage family, Boraginaceae, in the waterleaf subfamily, Hydrophylloideae. It is an annual herb that grows in the spring. It is native to the low to moderate elevation forests of western North America.The flowers of N. maculata are bowl-shaped, white to...
: Smallflower nemophila, Small-flowered nemophila - Nemophila pedunculataNemophila pedunculataNemophila pedunculata is a common annual wildflower found throughout western North America. Its common names include littlefoot nemophila and meadow nemophila....
: Littlefoot nemophila, Meadow nemophila - Nemophila phacelioides: Largeflower baby blue eyes
- Nemophila pulchellaNemophila pulchellaNemophila pulchella, known by the common name Eastwood's baby blue-eyes, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. It is endemic to California, where it is found from the San Francisco Bay Area to the southern Sierra Nevada to the Transverse Ranges...
: Eastwood's nemophila, Eastwood's baby blue-eyes - Nemophila spatulataNemophila spatulataNemophila spatulata is a dicot in the family of Boraginaceae. It is an annual herb that grows in California and adjacent areas of western North America. The common name for N. spatulata is the "Sierra baby blue-eyes" or "Sierra Nemophila"....
: Sierra Nemophila, Sierra baby blue-eyes
N. menziesii, N. parviflora, and N. pulchella have varieties under each species.