Blue-eyed grass blooms as San Diego's new official flower

Driving the news: Using a plethora of plant-based puns on Earth Day, City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday 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.

Between the lines: 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.

Zoom in: 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.