MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Blue-eyed Grass - San Diego's New Official Flower
- Jim Bishop
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Text and photos by Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2025.
It's official. Blue-eyed grass is now the official flower of San Diego.
The Western blue-eyed grass scientific name is Sisyrinchium bellum, in Spanish it is pasto des ojitos azulesç and in the Kumeyaay language kuushaaw. It occurs naturally in California and Oregon and west of the Sierra Nevada, extending south into Baja California. It is not a true grass, but, instead, is a member of the iris family.
From the April 22, 2025, San Diego Union Tribune:
San Diego has a new city flower for the first time in 61 years.
The City Council voted unanimously ... to replace the non-native carnation with blue-eyed grass, a native flower that can be found all over the city in meadows, along streams and next to freshwater wetlands.
Blue-eyed grass was chosen by the public in a March Madness-style bracket competition where it beat out seven other native flowers that met a long list of criteria established by the San Diego Bird Alliance.
In the finals, blue-eyed grass narrowly beat out the bush sunflower, 1,204 votes to 1,170 votes.
“The people of San Diego voted over and over for the blue-eyed grass,” said Council President Joe LaCava, who spearheaded the effort to change the city flower. “The blue-eyed grass represents the beauty of San Diego in its resilience and historical ties.”
Representatives from the bird alliance said the blue-eyed grass is well-balanced, symmetrical, drought-tolerant and fire-resistant and can re-seed itself and flourish in shade. Eloise Battle, a celebrated local environmentalist who died this spring, called the flower “the harbinger of spring.”
San Diego’s landscape is now graced by a new symbol of natural beauty: the blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum). This captivating flower has officially been named the city's flower, enchanting both locals and visitors.
The Journey to Official Recognition
These eight native candidate plants were selected based on environmental benefits, Kumeyaay cultural significance, drought resistance, native status, conservation concerns and artistic potential.
More than 7,700 people voted in this year's tournament in the Elite Inflorescence, Final Flora and the Corolla Championship rounds.
The previous official flower of San Diego, the carnation, was named on April 28, 1964, by San Diego City Council in a secret ballot. The carnation won over the rose and poinsettia.
Characteristics of Blue-eyed Grass
Blue-eyed grass belongs to the iris family (Iridaceae) and typically reaches heights of 1 to 2 feet. It showcases slender, green, grass-like leaves that create a vibrant contrast with its flowers. During spring, the plant produces clusters of blue flower buds that blossom into bright blue or violet flowers, each adorned with striking yellow throats. Without supplemental water, and sometimes even with it, it disappears in summer to return with the fall and winter rains.
This charming flower thrives in open areas, grasslands, and along coastal regions—exactly where San Diego's diverse landscapes exist. Blue-eyed grass prefers well-drained soils and can often be spotted in meadows, savannas, and even urban gardens. Its adaptability not only highlights its resilience but also makes it a fitting representative of the San Diego environment.
It is easy to grow in San Diego home gardens from the mountains to the coast, available in the spring at most local nurseries and reseeds freely once established if not dead-headed first. Small plants sometimes emerge along spent inflorescence and can be detached and planted in new locations.
Ecological Significance
San Diego is the most biologically diverse county in the continental US with the more species of native plants, flies, bees, oaks and several others than any other county. While blue-eyed grass isn't rare, it is well distributed throughout the city, county and California.
The plant and flowers have a similar look wherever it grows but the color can vary from pale blue, true blue, lavender, to purple.
Below are photos of it growing wild in Southern California.
Top row left to right:
Torrey Pines State Preserve
Santa Margarita River Reserve in Fallbrook
Blue Sky Ecological Reserve in Poway
Bottom row left to right:
Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park
San Diego National Wildlife Reserve, Chula Vista
Mission Trails Park San Diego
There are a number of closely related species native to other parts of North America from the deep south, Texas, the great plains, Northeast and Arizona.
In my home garden, I discovered it growing on our hillside over 20 years ago. I’ve let it spread naturally from a few plants to now large clumps of it. It can survive on our annual rain but does even better with a little supplemental water.
I like to use it along the edges of paths, with other low growing plants and mixed in with other California native plants.
Alternative Locally Native Plant
Personally, I would like to have seen an exclusively San Diego native plant called Willowy Monardella chosen but it wasn't in the competition.
From the CalScape Website:
Willowy Monardella (Monardella viminea) is an extremely rare native perennial herb in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family that grows exclusively in San Diego County. It is a federally listed listed rare and endangered species, and it is included in CNPS list 1B.1. Most of the world's willowy mint grows on the eastern side of the Miramar marine base or in nearby canyons. Its habitat consists of ephemeral streams: the bed, the edge, or the bench within a few feet of the bed. This species was formerly classified as a subspecies of Monardella linoides, and some sources still list it that way.
Despite its rarity and protected status, this plant is easy to grow in gardens and it is is often available from nurseries. It has a delightful mint fragrance. The pink to lavender flowers are attractive, and it does well in containers. Monthly irrigation keeps it evergreen and enables it to rebloom at any time of the year.
Promoting Blue-eyed Grass in San Diego
As San Diegans embrace their floral emblem, they are reminded of their connection to nature and the part each person plays in preserving the local ecosystem. The journey of blue-eyed grass reflects the power of community action, and the beauty rooted in native flora. Enjoy it on a hike or plant some in your garden today!
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