About Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn.
Nemophila menziesii Hook. & Arn. varies widely in its physical appearance. Its lower leaves are oppositely arranged, stalked, and lobed, measuring 10 to 50 millimetres (0.4 to 2.0 inches) long. These lower leaves bear five to thirteen lobes each, which may be smooth-edged or have one to three teeth. Upper leaves are roughly sessile (stalkless) and have fewer lobes than the plant’s lower leaves. The inflorescence stalk measures 20 to 60 millimetres (0.8 to 2.4 inches), and the plant’s calyx lobes measure 4 to 8 millimetres (0.2 to 0.3 inches). The open flower is 6 to 40 millimetres (0.2 to 1.6 inches) wide. It is typically blue with a white center, though it may also be entirely white; most individuals have blue veins and black dots near the flower’s center. The flower tube is shorter than or equal in length to the flower’s filaments. This species is native to California, Oregon, and Baja California. It grows across nearly all of California at elevations ranging from sea level up to almost 6,500 feet (2,000 m), and inhabits a wide range of habitat types including chaparral, valley grasslands, and montane areas. It is cultivated as an ornamental annual wildflower for use in native plant gardens, water-conserving gardens, traditional gardens, and wildlife gardens. It can occasionally be found growing as an introduced species outside of its native range, for example in Alaska.
