General:
Biennial or short-lived perennial herb from a taproot; stems single to few, spreading long-hairy on lower part, appressed, upswept, straight-hairy above, 0.3-1 m tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves sometimes persistent but usually smaller than stem leaves and soon withering, oblanceolate, stalked; stem leaves ample, 4-20 cm long and 5-30 mm wide, the lower oblanceolate and stalked, the upper more lanceolate or lance-elliptic and unstalked, reduced upward, appressed straight-hairy or coarsely stiff-hairy, entire, alternate.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of several narrow, elongating, many-flowered clusters with leafy bracts at the base; petals blue, fused at base into a short,narrow tube that spreads (4-8 mm wide) at top to 5 lobes, with 5 minutely pimply, yellow bulges at the throat.

Fruits:
Nutlets 4, clustered together, 2-4 mm long, with marginal, barb-tipped prickles mostly free (but sometimes fused) to near base, facial prickles 0-3.

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

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hackelia leptophylla (Rydb.) I.M. Johnst.
Lappula floribunda (Lehm.) Greene