General: Perennial herb from a woody stem-base and a taproot; stems erect, usually several, simple, glabrous, 10-60 cm tall.
Leaves: Stem leaves alternate, linear, 1-3 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, 3-nerved only at the bases.
Flowers: Inflorescence of saucer-shaped flowers in a loose, terminal cluster on stalks 10-13 mm long; petals blue, 10-23 mm long, soon deciduous; sepals rounded at the tips, 4-7 mm long, the margins membranous, entire; styles heterostylic (of varying lengths).
Fruits: Capsules, more or less round, 10-celled, 5-8 mm long; seeds 3.5-4.5 mm long, beakless.
Notes: The closely related European herb, L. perenne presently occurs in a population at Knox Mtn., Kelowna. It differs mainly in having styles of uniform size.
Mesic to dry meadows and forest openings from the lowland and steppe to subalpine zones; frequent in SC and NE BC, less frequent in SW and SE BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to PQ and S to NM, AZ, CA and MX.
