General:
Perennial herb from a taproot and thickened stem-base; stems erect, simple or few-branched above, generally purplish and curved at the base, densely spreading-hairy, 10-50 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves triple-nerved, linear-lanceolate, entire, abruptly sharp-pointed, tapering gradually to the stalk, 2-25 cm long (including the stalk), 3-10 mm wide, hairy like the stems; stem leaves several to many, gradually reduced upwards, linear to linear-lanceolate.

Flowers:
Heads with ray and disk flowers, solitary to many, the disks 7-13 mm wide; involucres 5-7 mm tall; involucral bracts hoary with stiff, appressed hairs, sticky or obscurely glandular, somewhat graduated, not much thickened on the back; ray flowers 35-65, deep blue, occasionally pink, 7-13 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide; disk flowers 3-5.3 mm long.

Fruits:
Achenes 2-nerved, hairy; pappus double, the inner of 20-30 firm bristles, the outer of bristles or scales.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia