The city of San Diego could soon have a new official flower if the City Council agrees to replace the non-native carnation with the native Blue-eyed Grass.
The campaign to change San Diego's official flora came about through the San Diego Bird Alliance, which ventured away from its typical avian interest to launch the "Your City, Your Flower" campaign in March.
Coinciding with the NCAA basketball tournaments, the SDBA created a bracket-style tournament to choose between eight native plants — Black Sage, Bladderpod, Blue Elderberry, Blue-eyed Grass, Bush Sunflower, California Buckwheat, California Rose and Cleveland Sage.
Those eight were selected based on environmental benefits, Kumeyaay cultural significance, drought resistance, native status, conservation concerns and artistic potential, according to an alliance statement.
"This initiative aims to replace the current non-native carnation with a flower that truly represents our local ecosystems and supports our native wildlife," said Savannah Stallings, conservation advocacy coordinator for San Diego Bird Alliance.
The Western Blue-eyed Grass, known as Sisyrinchium bellum in its scientific or Latin name, pasto des ojitos azules in Spanish and kuushaaw in the Kumeyaay language, grows in California and Oregon and west of the Sierra Nevada, with its range extending south into Baja California. It is not a true grass, but instead a member of the iris family. Stems can extend up to 24 inches — but are usually shorter — and end in a small bluish-purplish bloom.
"Blue-eyed Grass works great at the edge of landscaped areas, is a fire-resistant plant, and uses a corm to store resources underground," a city document reads. "In 1908, an ethnographer recorded Luiseño Native Americans taking the roots of Blue-eyed Grass as a purgative. Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay ethnobotanist and author, wrote in her book that the plant was good for cramps."
San Diego adopted its current official flower, the carnation, on April 28, 1964, via a secret ballot.
More than 7,700 people voted in the tournament in the "Elite Inflorescence," "Final Flora" and the "Corolla Championship" rounds.
"San Diego County is the most biodiverse county in the nation, and this initiative aligns with the city's existing environmental commitments, including its designation as a Bee City and the Mayor's Monarch pledge," said SDBA Wildfire Resiliency Fellow, Hailey Matthews.
The item will be considered in the 10 a.m. session of the City Council on Tuesday.
