Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.

Habitat: Thickets, meadows, stream banks and other moist places, from low elevations to mid-elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Biennial, Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, flies, butterflies

Robust biennial or short-lived perennial, the stems 3-10 dm. tall, solitary or few, the upper portion with appressed, aligned pubescence, the lower with spreading hairs.

Basal leaves oblanceolate, petiolate, usually smaller than the cauline leaves and soon withering; cauline leaves well developed, numerous, 4-20 cm. long and 5-30 mm. wide, the lower oblanceolate and petiolate, the others lance-elliptic to lanceolate and sessile, gradually reduced upward.

Flowers numerous in an elongate, narrow inflorescence with ascending branches; calyx 5-lobed, split nearly to the base; corolla blue with a yellow center, the limb 4-7 mm. wide; appendages in the throat of the corolla nearly smooth.

Nutlets 4, 3-4 mm. long; marginal prickles free to the base.