Boraginaceae
Hackelia micrantha

Blue Stickseed

Erect. Stems hairless or with hairs sparse and spreading. Leaves lance-shaped, with pointed tips. Few basal leaves 3–6 in. long with winged petioles; upper leaves smaller, sessile. Blue flowers with yellow or white eye, on widely spreading branches of upper stem. Flowers can be 1/3 in. across but are often smaller. Seed nutlets have winged margin with numerous prickles; between the margins are 4–10 prickles. Grows in moist meadows with aspen, moist slopes, streambanks in mountains, at high elevations. Hackelia floribunda is similar but has a denser inflorescence, coarse hairs on stems, few or no prickles on seeds.

  • Rarity: Locally Common
  • Flowering Time: All Summer
  • Life Cycle: Perennial
  • Height: 12--40 inches
  • Habitat: Meadow, Shrub-Steppe
  • Found In: Wallowas, Steens, Crater Lake Np, N Cascades Np
  • Native: Yes

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