Nemophila maculata
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
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|image = Nemophila maculata3.jpg
|genus = Nemophila
|species = maculata
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Nemophila maculata, commonly known as fivespot, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae).
Distribution
The wildflower is found on slopes in elevations between {{convert|20|-|1000|m|ft}}. The plant is endemic to California. It is most common in the Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, and the California Coast Ranges in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It is found in several plant communities, including valley grassland, foothill woodland, and pine and fir forest.[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4518,4569,4572 Jepson (TJM2)]
Description
Nemophila maculata is an annual herb that flowers in the spring. The leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and 1.5 wide, and are divided into several smooth or toothed lobes.{{Cite web|title=Fivespot, Nemophila maculata|url=https://calscape.org/Nemophila-maculata-()|access-date=|website=calscape.org}}
The flowers are bowl-shaped, white with dark veins and dots. The lobe tips are purple-spotted. The corolla is 1 to 2 centimeters long and up to 5 centimeters wide. The flowers' spots, giving the common name fivespot,{{Cite web|title=Nemophila maculata - Plant Finder|url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281060&isprofile=0&|access-date=2021-12-30|website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}} attracts its primary pollinators, which are solitary bees. Male and female bees feed on the nectar and females collect pollen to feed their larvae.California Academy of Sciences, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070614095258/http://www.calacademy.org/research/botany/wildflow/wildflowers.asp?w_id=113 California Wildflowers: Nemophila maculata]
The seeds are greenish-brown and are smooth or shallowly pitted. The fruit produces up to 12 seeds. The entire fruiting and seed cycle begins in spring and ends in the summer.
Cultivation
Nemophila maculata is sown as an annual ornamental plant in traditional, native plant, and pollinator/wildlife gardens. It grows in loose, evenly moist, and well-drained soils. It requires full sun to part shade and will self seed in optimum growth conditions.
References
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External links
- [http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5835 Calflora Database: Nemophila maculata (baby blue eyes)]
- [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4518,4569,4572 Jepson Flora Project (1993): Nemophila maculata]
- [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Nemophila+maculata Nemophila maculata — UC Photos gallery]
{{Commons category|Nemophila maculata|position=left}}
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Category:Endemic flora of California
Category:Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Category:Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Category:Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Category:Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area