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BORAGINACEAE BORAGE or WATERLEAF FAMILY

Ronald B. Kelley, Robert Patterson, Richard R. Halse & Timothy C. Messick, family description, key to genera; treatment of genera by Ronald B. Kelley, except as noted

Annual to shrub, or non-green root parasite, generally bristly or sharp-hairy.
Stem: prostrate to erect.
Leaf: cauline, often with basal rosette, simple or compound, generally alternate.
Inflorescence: cymes, generally elongate, panicle-, raceme-, or spike-like, generally coiled in flower (often described as scorpioid), generally uncoiled in fruit, or heads, spikes, or panicles, or flowers 1–2 per axil.
Flower: bisexual, generally radial; sepals (4)5(10), fused at least at base, or free; corolla generally (4)5(10)-lobed, salverform, funnel-shaped, rotate, or bell-shaped, appendages 0 or 5 at top of tube, alternate stamens; stamens epipetalous; ovary superior, entire to 4-lobed, style 1(2), entire or 2-lobed or -branched.
Fruit: nutlets 1–4, free ( fused), smooth to roughened, prickly or bristly or not, or valvate or circumscissile capsule.
± 120 genera, ± 2300 species: tropics, temperate, especially w North America, Medit; some cultivated (Borago, Heliotropium, Echium, Myosotis, Nemophila, Phacelia, Symphytum). Many genera may be TOXIC from pyrrolizidine alkaloids or accumulated nitrates. [Olmsted et al. 2000 Molec Phylogen Evol 16:96–112] Recently treated to include Hydrophyllaceae, Lennoaceae. —Scientific Editors: Ronald B. Kelley, Robert Patterson, Bruce G. Baldwin, Thomas J. Rosatti.

Key to Boraginaceae

NEMOPHILA

Robert Patterson & Richard R. Halse

Annual.
Stem: simple to branched, prostrate to erect, fleshy, brittle, angled or winged, glabrous to generally bristly (prickly).
Leaf: simple, cauline, lower generally opposite, upper opposite or alternate, generally reduced; petiole generally bristly- ciliate; blade pinnate-toothed or -lobed, generally bristly.
Inflorescence: flowers 1 in leaf axils or opposite leaves; pedicels longer in fruit, recurved.
Flower: calyx bell-shaped to rotate, sinuses generally with spreading or reflexed appendages; corolla bell-shaped to rotate, white, blue, or purple, spotted or marked or not; stamens included; ovary chamber 1, style 1, generally 1/3–1/2 forked.
Fruit: generally 2–7 mm wide, spheric to ovoid, hairy, generally enclosed by calyx.
Seed: ovoid, smooth, wrinkled or pitted, with a conic, colorless appendage at 1 end.
11 species: se US, w North America. (Greek: woodland-loving)
Unabridged references: [Constance 1941 Univ CA Publ Bot 19:341–398]

Key to Nemophila

N. menziesii Hook. & Arn. BABY BLUE-EYES
NATIVE

Leaf: opposite; lower 1–5 cm, blade = petiole, linear-oblong to ovate, lobes 5–13, obtuse, entire or 1–3-toothed; upper ± sessile, entire, toothed, or less lobed than lower.
Inflorescence: pedicels 20–60 mm, < 70 mm in fruit.
Flower: calyx lobes 4–8 mm, appendages 1–4 mm in fruit; corolla 5–20 mm, 6–40 mm wide, bowl-shaped to rotate, bright blue with white center to white, generally blue-veined, black-dotted, tube <= filaments; anthers 2–3 mm; style 2–7 mm.
Fruit: 5–15 mm wide.
Seed: 4–20, brown to black, wrinkled, tubercled.
n=9. Highly variable; vars. intergrade. [Online Interchange]

N. menziesii var. menziesii
NATIVE

Leaf: lower 6–13-lobed, upper fewer, short-petioled, toothed or lobes narrower.
Flower: corolla 5–20 mm, 10–40 mm wide, bright blue with white center or blue-veined, generally black-dotted at center, tube = filaments.
Seed: 10–20.
Meadows, grassland, chaparral, woodland, slopes, desert washes; 15–1600 m. California Floristic Province, Mojave Desert. Feb–May [Online Interchange]

Previous taxon: Nemophila menziesii var. integrifolia
Next taxon: Nemophila parviflora

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occursRed area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon;
markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
map of distribution 1

Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.
Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
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CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.