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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Streamside Bluebells
Mertensia ciliata (E. James ex Torr.) G. Don

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Borage (Boraginaceae)
Flowering: June-August
Field Marks: Bluebells are distinguished by their usually bluish, tubular flowers and toothless, alternate leaves. Mertensia ciliata differs from the others by usually being at least 2 feet tall, by having leaves smooth on both surfaces,
Habitat: Wet meadows, along streams, particularly in the mountains.
Habit: Perennial herb from a thickened rootstock.
Stems: Upright, up to 4 1/2 feet tall, smooth, sometimes bluish.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, elliptic to ovate to lanceolate, up to 6 inches long, up to 2 inches wide, more or less pointed at the tip, tapering or less commonly rounded at the base, smooth, the basal leaves larger and on long stalks, the upper l
Flowers: Several clustered in small cymes, each cyme subtended by a small bract.
Sepals: 5, green, united only at the base, up to 1/6 inch long, smooth except for short cilia along the edges.
Petals: 5, blue, united to form a tube, up to 3/4 inch long.
Stamens: 5, attached to the tube of the petals.
Pistils: Ovary superior, 4-parted.
Fruits: Nutlets 4, somewhat veiny.

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/8/mertcili.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:28:04 EST
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