General: Perennial herb from a branched stem-base and a taproot; stems several, ascending to erect, silky spreading-hairy during flowering otherwise, appressed stiff-hairy to fine grey-hairy, 10-40 cm tall.
Leaves: Basal and lower stem leaves alternate, oblong to oblanceolate in outline, stalked, pinnatifid, the lobes linear-oblong, silky spreading hairy, at least when young, 2-6.5 cm long; middle and upper stem leaves similar, reduced upwards.
Flowers: Inflorescence a coiled, 1-sided, short, dense, spike-like, terminal cluster; corollas dark blue or purple, hairy inside and out, 5-6 mm long and wide; calyces hairy, the lobes linear; stamens long-exserted, 2-3 times as long as the corolla, glabrous.
Fruits: Capsules; seeds 8-18, 1-2 mm long, pitted.
If more than one illustration is
available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two
subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below.
Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
Dry rocky slopes, scree slopes, talus slopes, meadows and forest openings from the montane to alpine zones; common in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains in S BC, rare on Vancouver Island; E to SW AB and S to CO, NV and N CA, reportedly disjunct in E AK.
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