
Canyon Nemophila, White Nemophila, Small Baby Blue Eyes
Nemophila heterophylla
NATIVE
Description (Jepson, PlantID.net)
- Eudicotyledon
- Eudicots are a major lineage of flowering plants; see family for general characteristics
- Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae)
- Annual herb
- Leaves
- Lower leaves are opposite (2 leaves at each junction with stem) with deeply-cut, widely-separated, rounded lobes
- Upper leaves are reduced, with smaller or absent lobing, and may be alternate (1 leaf at each junction with stem)
- Flowers
- Inflorescence (flower arrangement) is a small, white, bowl-shaped flower from the leaf axil (junction with stem)
- 5 fused petals and dark anthers (pollen-producing part of the stamen/male structure)
- Calyx almost separate, with downward-curving appendages between each lobe
- Calyx is the collective term for sepals (usually green, outer flower parts)
- Ovary superior (above the attachment of other flower parts)
- Fruit is a capsule (a dry, multi-chambered fruit that splits open at maturity)
- Height to 5 in.

Distribution
- Native to California
- Grows predominantly in shady places of canyons and slopes of chaparral, foothill woodlands, and forests
- See Calflora for statewide observations of this plant
- Outside California, grows in Oregon
- Grows at elevations between 100 and 5,600 ft.
Uses (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)
- Wildlife
- Provides pollen and nectar for native bees
Name Derivation
- Nemophila (neh-MOF-i-la) – from the Greek nemos, “a glade,” and phileo, “to love,” referring to its habitat
- heterophylla (het-er-OH-fil-a) – from the Greek heteros, “different,” and phyllon, ”leaf,” as the leaves differ on the same plant

Notes
- Lower leaf lobes have been described as “frog-toes”(Muir 2019)
- Edgewood docents have called it “froggy toes” or “little frog-foot flower”
- Reclassified in the Waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae) in 2021 Jepson revision
- 2012 Jepson revision (2nd edition) had subsumed the Waterleaf family into the Borage family (Boraginaceae)
ID Tips
- May be confused at Edgewood with the less-common Nemophila species, woodland nemophila (Nemophila parviflora var. parviflora)
- Variable-leaved nemophila (Nemophila heterophylla)
- Lower leaves lobes are deeply-cut and widely-separated
- Unique among Nemophila species, petals lack dark spots or striped veins
- Woodland nemophila (Nemophila parviflora var. parviflora)
- Lower leaves lobes are more shallowly-cut
- Petals may have dark spots and striped veins
- Variable-leaved nemophila (Nemophila heterophylla)
At Edgewood
- Found in woodlands
- See iNaturalist for observations of this plant
- Flowers January – April
Specific References
Blackwell, L.R. 2012. Wildflowers of California: A Month-by-Month Guide. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Laws, J.M. 2019. Sierra Wildflowers: A Hiker’s Guide. Heyday Books, Berkeley, California.