Nemophila spatulata
Nemophila spatulata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | (unplaced) |
Family: | Boraginaceae |
Subfamily: | Hydrophylloideae |
Genus: | Nemophila |
Species: | N. spatulata |
Binomial name | |
Nemophila spatulata | |
Nemophila 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".
The flowers of N. spatulata are bowl-shaped, white or blue and generally veined and dotted. The lobes are sometimes purple-spotted. The corolla is 2–8 mm long and 2–10 mm wide. The leaves are opposite, 5–30 mm long, and the petiole is winged. The lower blades have 3–5 lobes, are shallow and generally entire. The upper blade lobes have 3–5 triangular teeth.
The seeds are brown and are smooth but shallowly pitted. The fruit produces between 5-7 seeds.
Habitat and Plant Communities
N. spatulata is found on slopes in elevations between 1,100 and 3,000 m. It grows in the following plant communities:
- Yellow pine forest
- Red fir forest
- Lodgepole forest
Bioregional Distribution
Nemophila spatulata is distributed in meadows, road banks, and woodlands — and found in locations including:
- southern High Cascade Range
- High Sierra Nevada
- Southern Sierra Nevada Foothills
- Tehachapi Mountains region
- Transverse Ranges
- Peninsular Ranges
References
- Calflora — Nemophila spatulata
- USDA PLANTS Database: Nemophila spatulata (Sierra Baby Blue Eyes)
- Jepson Manual Flora Project — Nemophila spatulata
- Nemophila spatulata— U.C. Photo gallery