The blue-eyed grass is San Diego’s new official flower.
Part of the iris family and native to the area, this plant was selected through the San Diego Bird Alliance’s NCAA bracket-style tournament that drew more than 7,750 votes from the public. [The SD Bird Alliance is the former Audubon Society.]
Using a plethora of plant-based puns on Earth Day, City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday, April 22, for the blue-eyed grass to represent the city.
The flower beat out the bush sunflower in the finals to replace the non-native carnation, which was chosen in 1964 through a secret ballot.
The alliance campaigned to change the city’s official flower to a native plant that supports local ecosystems and wildlife in San Diego County – the most biodiverse in the country.
Each of the eight contenders were selected based on environmental benefits, Kumeyaay cultural significance, conservation status and other factors.
This bright, purpley-blue flower is drought-tolerant and fire-resistant, and can be found throughout San Diego’s canyon, coastal and hillside shrubs, and along the edges of freshwater wetlands and landscaped gardens.
It blooms from January to July, and goes dormant during dry summers and dies back to the ground. But the perennial herb stores resources in its stem underground to come back to life during the rainy season.
