Blue-Eyed Mary

Photo of blue-eyed Mary flowers
Scientific Name
Collinsia verna
Family
Plantaginaceae (plantains); formerly Scrophulariaceae (figworts; snapdragons)
Description

The flowers of blue-eyed Mary are only about a half inch wide, but this pretty wildflower makes up for it by usually appearing in abundance, covering a patch of forest floor with little sky-blue and white “faces.”

Flowers tubular on long stems arising from upper leaf axils; 2-lipped: the upper lip 2-lobed, white; the lower lip 3-lobed, sky blue, rarely purple or white. The center lower lobe forms a pouch in which the stamens and the pistil are hidden. This is one of the few Missouri wildflowers that is truly “blue.” Blooms April–June. Leaves opposite, the lower ones broadly egg-shaped, slightly scalloped or toothed, on long stems; upper leaves nearly stemless, lance-shaped, smooth along the edges.

Similar species: Violet collinsia, or Ozarkian blue-eyed Mary (C. violacea) is found in acid and sandy soils of glades, barrens, and outcrops, roadsides, open dry woods and ridges, and woodland openings, mainly in the prairie region of southwestern Missouri and in sandy areas of southeast Missouri. The flower's lower lip is violet, purple, or sometimes white; the lobes of the lips have notches to almost ¼ inch deep; the leaves are more uniformly narrow.

Size

Height: to about 15 inches.

Where To Find
image of Blue-Eyed Mary Distribution Map

Scattered statewide, but its distribution is most concentrated in Central Missouri. Absent from most of the Ozarks and extreme northwestern and northeastern sections.

Occurs in moist, open wooded hills or valleys, streamsides; prefers dappled light. An excellent garden subject in humus-rich soil, where it will readily self-seed. A winter annual covering large areas, it develops seedlings in late fall that can survive the rigors of winter.

Native Missouri wildflower.

This native wildflower does well in cultivation in moist, rich soils and can be grown easily from seed, but competing plants have to be kept away so they don't crowd out the developing seedlings.

Bumblebees, other bees with long tongues, and some butterflies glean nectar from these flowers.

Media Gallery
Photo of blue-eyed Mary flowers
Julianna Schroeder
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Photo of blue-eyed Mary plants with flowers
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A cluster of four-petaled flowers. The top two are white, while the bottom two are vivid blue or purple.
Submitted by Barbara Bowyer
3/3
Photo of blue-eyed Mary flowers
Photo of blue-eyed Mary plants with flowers
A cluster of four-petaled flowers. The top two are white, while the bottom two are vivid blue or purple.
Similar Species

Where to See Species

About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri
A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!