Baby Blue Eyes is a delicate-looking, generally low-growing in the , with 5 dark-blue to sky-blue that fade to white toward their centers. A single plant is small and inconspicuous, especially when it grows among grasses and other plants, as it often does. But it also occurs in patches that are sure to catch your attention. Baby Blue Eyes grows easily from seed and makes a splendid addition to any garden.

The tender green stems may spread near the ground or grow erect. They are between 4 and 12 inches long, finely hairy, and easily broken.


Leaves: The leaves are and their outline is narrowly . They have 5 to 13 rounded . The middle lobe at the tip of the leaf is larger and 3-lobed itself. The leaves are only between 1/2 and 2 inches long, the upper leaves shorter than the ones on the lower part of the stem. The 5 narrow, green alternate with 5 appendages that fold back away from the flower. The 5 petals are often pale blue, but sometimes quite deep blue, on their outer edges, fading to white toward the center of the flower. Occasionally, you may see petals that are all white. If you look closely you can often see blue veins in the petals and variations in the coloring and pattern. Many have dark spots in the center. The flowers may be from 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches across, but are generally about 1 inch in diameter. They bloom from February through June. The fruit is a 1/4-inch-long, round surrounded by the slightly prickly, bell-shaped structure formed by the sepals. The capsule contains 4 to 20 tiny seeds. Baby Blue Eyes grows below 6,200 feet in shady, wooded areas, but also on chaparral slopes and burned areas. This plant is found in nearly all parts of California, except the , as well as parts of Oregon and . There is one other of Nemophila in our foothills and canyons. Eastwood’s Baby Blue Eyes (N. pulchella) looks similar overall, but has a much smaller white or blue flower. It is also much less common. Another very similar plant is Fiesta Flower (Pholistoma auritum), whose leaves and flowers are hard to distinguish from Baby Blue Eyes. A key difference is in the leaf stalks (petioles). Those of Fiesta Flower are winged (having narrow bits of blade material along the stalks) and the stems, while those of Baby Blue Eyes do not. This low-growing annual makes a tender, pretty border, flowering from February to June.
Sunlight needs Full sun or partial shade.
Water needs Occasional to moderate summer water.
Soil needs Can adapt to variable soils.
Baby Blue Eyes has historically been considered to be in the Waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae). Recently, the entire Waterleaf family has been incorporated into the Borage family (Boraginaceae). In this interpretive guide, we treat the Waterleaf family as separate, for consistency with the current Jepson Manual (1993).


Meaning of the Name: Nemophila is from the Greek nemos, “pasture”, and phila, “loving”, a reference to the preferred habitat of many of these plants; menziesii honors Archibald Menzies (1754-1842), a Scottish surgeon and botanist who accompanied George Vancouver on his voyage along the Pacific coast.

The common name alludes to the delicate appearance of the flowers.