Scientific Name: Mertensia longiflora
Family Name: Boraginaceae
Bloom Period: Early spring
Life Span: Perennial
Height: Up to 20 cm tall.
Habitat: Found in grasslands and in open ponderosa pine forests.
Leaf Description: Basal shaped on long stalks with some being heart-shaped missing the lateral veins. Often coarsely hairy on both sides.
Flower and Petal Description: Blue, pinkish at first, bell-shaped corolla, with style barely protruding from corolla tube; few to many flowers, dropping clusters in an open, branching inflorescence.
Stem Description: Slender stem
Fruit Description: 4 small wrinkled nutlets.
Medicinal Uses: Leaves are edible and can be added to soups, casseroles, and salads.
This flower is native to the area.