Gonosperminae

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Boraginales

Familia: Boraginaceae
Subfamilia: Hydrophylloideae
Genus: Nemophila
Species: Nemophila maculata
Name

Nemophila maculata Benth. ex Lindl., J. Hort. Soc. London 3: 320 (1848).
Synonyms

Nemophila maculata var. concolor Brand
Nemophila speciosa Hartw. ex Lindl.
Viticella maculata (Benth. ex Lindl.) J.F.Macbr.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
Regional: Southwestern USA
California

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Bentham, G., 1848. Journal of the Horticultural Society of London 3: 320

Links

Hassler, M. 2020. Nemophila maculata. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 March 4. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Nemophila maculata in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 March 4. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Nemophila maculata. Published online. Accessed: 4 March 2020.

Vernacular names

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 20–1,000 metres (66–3,281 ft). The plant is endemic to California.[1] 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.[2]
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.[1]

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.[1] The flowers' spots, giving the common name fivespot,[3] attracts its primary pollinators, which are solitary bees. Male and female bees feed on the nectar and females collect pollen to feed their larvae.[4]

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.[4]
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.[3]
References

"Fivespot, Nemophila maculata". calscape.org.
Jepson (TJM2)
"Nemophila maculata - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
California Academy of Sciences, California Wildflowers: Nemophila maculata[permanent dead link]