E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a taproot; stems erect, usually simple, narrow-winged, lightly hairy, 30-80 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal and lower to middle stem leaves broadly lanceolate, entire, the bases winged and continuous with the stems, lightly woolly below, nearly glabrous above, reduced upwards.

Flowers:
Heads discoid, solitary on the stems; involucres 20-25 mm tall, 12-15 mm wide; involucral bracts egg-shaped to narrowly egg-shaped, glabrous, with dark brown or black, tattered margins towards the apex; disk flowers blue, rarely white, the sterile marginal ones 40-45 mm long, enlarged at the tips with five lobes, the central perfect ones about 16 mm long.

Fruits:
Achenes light yellow, glossy, 5-6 mm long; pappus about 0.5 mm long.