Cynoglossum coeruleum Hochst. ex Dc.

Perennial or less often annual or biennial herb (15–)25–120 cm. tall; stems rough with ± adpressed upwardly directed hairs above but spreading or deflexed beneath, very dense on young parts; usually with a thick woody tap-root.. Radical leaves narrowly ovate, elliptic-oblong, linear-oblong or oblanceolate, 8–21 (–30) cm. long, 1.1–6 cm. wide, subacute at the apex, long-attenuate at the base, rough with rather sparse to dense short adpressed white hairs from conspicuous white cystolith dots, less densely placed on the undersurface; petiole 2–10 cm. long, spreading pubescent; cauline leaves similar, linear-lanceolate to ovate, 1.5–17(–30) cm. long, 0.2–5 cm. wide, subacute to acute at the apex, contracted to or slightly widened at the base, sessile or pseudopetiolate.. Flowers in terminal and axillary, simple, dichasial or trifid cymes but not forming densely branched inflorescences; individual cymes short at first but soon 10–25 cm. long; pedicels mostly short, 2–7(–12) mm. long or that of central flower of dichasium up to 1.5 cm.; axes sparsely to densely adpressed pubescent.. Calyx-lobes narrowly ovate to oblong or elliptic-obovate, 1.2–1.5(–3.5) mm. long, 0.4–1.2(–2) mm. wide, enlarging in fruit, 3–4 × 1.5–1.8 mm., acute to ± rounded at the apex, pubescent and ciliate and sometimes with marked cystolith-tubercles.. Corolla blue or pinkish mauve turning bluish, sometimes with yellowish white centre or less often white or white with blue or pink centre; tube 1.5–2(–2.5) mm. long; lobes rounded-oblong, (1.2–)1.5–3 mm. long, 1–3 mm. wide.. Style (0.3–)0.5–3 mm. long in fruit.. Fruit often reddish, 6–9 mm. wide; nutlets compressed ovoid, (2.5–)3.5–4 mm. long, 3–3.5 mm. wide, covered all over with fairly short usually slender glochidia 0.5–1 mm. long and with few short additional tubercles above or with upper face almost or quite devoid of tubercles save for a median line, occasionally with peripheral ones joined at base to form a ± distinct margin but not as marked as in many species of the genus; there are, however, numerous intermediate fruit patterns.

Submontane grasslands. Found in a wide variety of habitats such as (overgrazed) grassland, bushland, evergreen forest and as a weed in fields; at elevations from 750-3,150 metres, occasionally ascending to 3,650 metres.

Can be grown by seedlings.