Common Names: Tall Fringed Bluebells, Mountain Bluebells, Streamside Bluebells
Synonyms: Mertensia ciliata
Taxonomy: Forget-Me-Not (Boraginaceae)
Habit: perennial forb, herb
Size: up to 3’
Flowers: Blue
Bloom: May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Leaves: alternate
Fruit: Nutlets
Description:
A perennial herb producing a cluster of erect stems from a thick, branching caudex. The leafy stems reach well over 3’ (1 m) in maximum height. The veiny leaves are oval to lance-shaped and pointed. A plant with clumps of leafy stems and loose clusters of narrowly bell-shaped, blue flowers turning pink with age. Pendent clusters of clear blue, tubular flowers exude a mild fragrance. Root crowns and rhizomes spread over time, forming extensive patches. The flowers are an open array of many clustered blue bell-shaped flowers each about 1/2” (1-2 cm) long. The hanging, fragrant flower is tubular, expanding into a wider, lobed mouth. As the individual flowers progress in age they change in color from blue to pink-red. Mertensias are also called Lungworts, after a European species with spotted leaves which was believed to be a remedy for lung disease. Similar species differ in the proportions of the corolla.
Distribution: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WY
Habitat: moist habitat, such as subalpine meadows and creeksides
