NEMOPHILA

genus of annual herbs of the family Hydrophyllaceae. The about 13 species, most of which bear blue or white, bell-like blooms, are North American, mostly Pacific coast in origin. Baby blue-eyes (N. menziesii) often blooms conspicuously along the borders of moist woodlands in California. Its five-lobed, wheel-shaped flowers range in colour from blue to white and may have blue veins; the blossoms measure up to 4 centimetres (1 1/2 inches) across. The leaves are divided into five to nine lobes. The plants, sometimes creeping, can grow to about 50 cm tall.