General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, simple to freely branched, nearly smooth to minutely hairy with longer hairs below the inflorescence, 5-25 cm tall.

Leaves:
Alternate, 1-3 cm long, hairless or white-hairy near the base, 1 to 2 times pinnately cleft, the axis narrow and the segments needle-like, the terminal segment elongate.

Flowers:
Inflorescences dense, leafy-bracted heads of several to many, unstalked flowers, terminating the stem and branches; corollas white to pale purple or pale blue, 4-11 mm long, the tube spreading to five egg-shaped lobes less than 2 mm long; stamens exserted from the tube; calyces white tufted-hairy at the mouth, 4-7 mm long, the teeth unequal, spine-tipped, the larger teeth sometimes 3-pronged.

Fruits:
Capsules, 2-chambered; seeds 3 to 5 per chamber, brown, pitted, becoming sticky when moistened.

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