Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Boraginales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nemophila aphylla
FAMILY
Hydrophyllaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Baby Blue Eyes at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nemophila aphylla
FAMILY
Hydrophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Nemophila aphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Nemophila triloba
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 160-03-001:
Nemophila microcalyx FAMILY Hydrophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nemophila microcalyx
COMMON NAME:
Baby Blue Eyes, Small-flower Baby-blue-eyes, White Nemophila, Eastern Baby-blue-eyes
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nemi2_001_lvd
)
Jerry Bright jeb_031508_093
March Aiken County SC
Savannah River Bluffs Heritage Preserve
Leaves are long-stalked with blade deeply divided into 3-5 lobes, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120325_865
March McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm160311_108
March Greenville County SC
Riparian zone along urban waterway
Calyx lobes lanceolate, pilose-hispid, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm230331_2246
March Spartanburg County SC
Leaves pubescent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Keith Bradley kab_n_aphylla_1475
March McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_n_aphylla_cropped
March
)
Alan Cressler alc_8663115873_e625248374
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
Corolla white, campanulate, c. 3mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
Baby Blue Eyes and Buttercup Phacelia
)
JK Marlow jkm090404_156
April Walker County GA
Pigeon Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_264
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_266
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_282
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmnmicrocalyx_mcc2
April McCormick County SC
Solitary flowers (and later fruits) borne on pedicels mostly > 12mm long, opposite the leaves, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm080517_072
May Aiken County SC
Savannah River Bluffs Heritage Preserve
Fruit is a hairy capsule, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nemophila aphylla
FAMILY
Hydrophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nemophila aphylla
FAMILY
Hydrophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Nemophila aphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of Vascular Plants of NE US & Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist,1991)
Nemophila triloba
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 160-03-001:
Nemophila microcalyx
FAMILY
Hydrophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nemophila microcalyx
2205
Forb
Weak annual
Habitat: Moist, nutrient-rich floodplain forests, often locally abundant, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon (rare in GA Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple: Divided, appearing compound
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Flowers have pedicels.
Radially symmetrical
5-merous
5-parted calyx
5-lobed campanulate corolla
5 included stamens, fused to corolla
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Flowers solitary, opposite the leaves
FRUIT:
Spring
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p215
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p154
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p207
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p245
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".