Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Nemophila spatulata, with the common names Sierra baby blue-eyes and Sierra nemophila, is a dicot in the family Boraginaceae. The plant is an annual herb wildflower that grows in California, and adjacent areas of Nevada and Oregon. It is found on slopes at elevations between 1,100-3,000 metres (3,600-9,800 ft), in meadows, road banks, and woodlands. It grows in the following plant communities: Yellow pine forestRed fir forestLodgepole forestBioregional Distribution includes: Southern High Cascade RangeHigh Sierra Nevada and Southern Sierra Nevada FoothillsTehachapi MountainsTransverse Ranges, in the San Bernardino Mountains and Santa Monica MountainsPeninsular Ranges in the San Jacinto MountainsThe flowers of Nemophila 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.

Plant type

Annual herb

Calscape icon
Color

White, Blue

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Bees
Butterflies

Pollinators supported

1 confirmed and 38 likely

  • Likely

  • Confirmed

Colorado Mason Bee

Osmia coloradensis

Narrow-legged Miner Bee

Andrena angustitarsata

Bearded Miner Bee

Andrena barbilabris

Caerulean Miner Bee

Andrena caerulea