Mertensia bella
Encyclopedia
Mertensia bella is a species of flowering plant in the borage family
known by the common names beautiful bluebells and Oregon lungwort. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it grows in wet mountain habitat. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem and caudex
unit up to half a meter tall. The rough-haired leaves are alternately arranged and borne on petioles
. The inflorescence
is an open array of clustered bright blue, bell-shaped flowers up to a centimeter wide at the lobed mouths.
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
known by the common names beautiful bluebells and Oregon lungwort. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it grows in wet mountain habitat. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, erect stem and caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
unit up to half a meter tall. The rough-haired leaves are alternately arranged and borne on petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an open array of clustered bright blue, bell-shaped flowers up to a centimeter wide at the lobed mouths.