genus
Blue-eyed Marys
Collinsia
Field notes
Collinsia is a genus of about 20 species of annual flowering plants, consisting of the blue eyed Marys and the Chinese houses. It was traditionally placed in the snapdragon family Scrophulariaceae, but following recent research in molecular genetics, it has now been placed in a much enlarged family Plantaginaceae.
The genus is endemic to North America, and is named in honor of Zacchaeus Collins, a Philadelphia botanist of the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century. Many of the 20 species may be found in California.
Two species, Collinsia parviflora (smallflower blue eyed Mary) and Collinsia violacea (violet blue eyed Mary), had medicinal uses among American Indian peoples.
Species include:
Read more on WikipediaChildren
- Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary native
- Purple Chinese Houses native
- Spring Blue-eyed Mary native
- Giant Blue-eyed Mary native
- Fewflower Blue-eyed Mary native
- Torrey's Blue-eyed Mary native
- Sticky Chinese Houses native
- Concolorous Chinese Houses native
- Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Mary native
- San Francisco Collinsia native
- Child's Blue-eyed Mary native
- Violet Blue Eyed Mary native
- White Blue-eyed Mary native
- Greene's Blue-eyed Mary native
- Wright's Blue-eyed Mary native
- Desert Mountain Blue-eyed Mary native
- Parry's Blue-eyed Mary native
- Round-headed Chinese-houses native
- Sticky Blue-eyed Mary native
- Broad Leaved Collinsia native
- Merced River Collinsia
- Yosemite Collinsia
- San Antonio Collinsia native
- Trumbull Peak Collinsia
Range
Greener is more native, amber more introduced; paler is less certain. How this was decided
Key traits
- Layer
- Herbaceous plants
- Plant type
- Annual Wildflower
From USDA PLANTS.
Top native blue-eyed marys All
Native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
-
San Francisco Collinsia
Collinsia multicolor
caterpillars
4
flowers
6
-
Purple Chinese Houses
Collinsia heterophylla
caterpillars
3
food
2
flowers
20
-
Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia parviflora
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
28
-
Torrey's Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia torreyi
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
6
-
Sticky Chinese Houses
Collinsia tinctoria
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
6
-
Child's Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia childii
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
6
-
Wright's Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia wrightii
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
6
-
Desert Mountain Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia callosa
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
6
-
Spring Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia verna
caterpillars
3
flowers
37
-
Giant Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia grandiflora
caterpillars
3
flowers
10
-
Fewflower Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia sparsiflora
caterpillars
3
flowers
8
-
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia linearis
caterpillars
3
flowers
6
-
White Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia bartsiifolia
caterpillars
3
flowers
6
-
Greene's Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia greenei
caterpillars
3
flowers
6
-
Sticky Blue-eyed Mary
Collinsia rattanii
caterpillars
3
flowers
6