Nemophila maculata
| Nemophila maculata | |
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| Species: | N. maculata
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| Binomial name | |
| Nemophila maculata | |
Nemophila maculata is a dicot in the family of Hydrophyllaceae. It is an annual herb that grows in the spring. The common name for N. maculata is the Fivespot or Five-spot. It is a native species to California and is endemic to California only.
The flowers of N. maculata are bowl-shaped, white with dark veins and dots. The lobe tips are purple-spotted. The corolla is 8-20 mm long and 1-5 mm wide. The leaves are 8-30 mm long and 3-15 mm wide. They have 5-9 lobes and the lobes are either entire or 1-3 toothed.
The seeds are greenish-brown and are either smooth or shallowly pitted. The fruit produces between 2-12 seeds. The entire fruiting and seed cycle begins in spring and ends in the summer.
The plant grows rapidly and reaches a maximum height of 0.5 feet at maturity. However, it has a very short lifespan.
Habitat and Plant Communities
N. maculata is found on slopes in elevations between 60-3,100 feet. They exist in the following plant communities:
- Valley grassland
- Foothill woodland
- Yellow pine forest
- Red fir forest
Distribution
N. maculata is distributed in meadows, road banks and woodlands. The majority of specimens found are in the Sierra Nevada and the Sacramento Valley. They have also been identified as far south in the San Bernardino County and Santa Barbara County.
Ecology
The spots that give N. maculata its common name evolved to attract their primary pollinators. The primary pollinator for the Fivespot is the bee. Both male and female bees feed on the nectar. Female bees also collect the pollen to feed to their larvae.