Blue Stickseed, Jessica Sticktight, Meadow Forget-me-not: Hackelia micrantha (Synonyms: Hackelia jessicae, Lappula micrantha)

The photo above shows a close-up of the sepals of blue stickseed as seen along Forest Road #020 at the Ray Ridge Viewpoint in the Umatilla National Forest of southeastern Washington.......June 25, 2007.

Blue stickseed is a pretty perennial wildflower with several to many stems arising 30-100 cm high from a branched base atop a taproot. The herbage is typically sparsely to densely haired with spreading to reflexed or strongly downward pointing hairs. The stems range from 3-8 mm thick near their base. The basal leaves are oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic with long petioles. The basal leaves are persistent through bloom and range up to 35 cm long, including the length of the petiole, and up to 4 cm wide. The stem leaves are well developed, ranging from several to many. They are 5-20 cm long and from 7-20 mm ide. The lower stem leaves are oblanceolate in shape with petioles while the upper leaves are sessile and lance-elliptic to oblong in shape.

The inflorescence consists of numerous scropioid spikes on short branches on the upper stem. The calyxlobes are narrowly oblong-ovate in shape, 3 mm long and densely covered by short, whitish to grayish hairs. The flowers are blue with a yellow or whitish eye. The limb is 7-11 mm wide. The nutlets are 3-4.5 mm long with marginal prickles distinct to the base and 4-8 intramarginal prickles (occasionally only 1 or 2) which are much smaller than the marginal prickles.

Biennial forget-me-not: Hackelia floribunda - A biennial or short-lived perennial with 1-5 stems (usually 3 at most) from the base. The nutlets usually have no intramarginal prickles, or at most 1-2.

Blue stickseed may be found on moist to dry ground from thefoothills to fairly high elevations in the mountains. It is common in forest openings, meadows, and along streambanks.

Blue stickseed may be found east of the Cascade Mts. from southern British Columbia sout to the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mts. of southern california and east to southwestern Alberta, central Nevada, central Utah and northwestern Colorado.

Additional views of blue stickseed as seen near the top of east-facing slopes on Burch Mt. to the north of Wenatchee, WA.......June 6, 2009.

The photo above shows a close-up of the leaf of blue stickseed. Photographed at Dixie Butte, Malheur NF.......July 4, 2002.

Blue stickseed as seen in meadows around Fish Lake Campground, Steens Mountain.........July 12, 2014.

The photos at left and center show blue stickseed as seen in vernally moist meadows at Summit Prairie, Malheur National Forest..........May 28, 2014. The photo at right shows blue stickweed as seen along FS Road #38-200 southeast of Spanish Peak, Ochoco National Forest..........June 14, 2015.

Blue stickseed as seen on open forest slopes just north of Camas Lands, Camas Lands NAP, southeast of Leavenworth, Washington.........June 5, 2015. Theshort, intramarginal prickles are visible again in these photos.

Blue stickseed as seen blooming along the Round Mountain South Trail #805 near Wildhorse Springs on the south side of Round Mt., Ochoco National Forest.........May 28, 2016.

The photo at right shows blue stickseed as seen at Boeing Field, Ochoco National Forest.......June 17, 2019. The photo at right shows blue stickseed at Dixie Butte, Malheur NF........July 4, 2002.

A violet-flowered form of blue stickseed as seen at left in open forest near Antelope Mountain Lookout, Malheur National Forest.......June 25, 2011.The photo at right shows blue stickseed in bloom along the Bullrun Trail #1961 about one-quarter mile south of the trailhead, Monument Rock Wilderness......July 9, 2023.

The photo above shows "stickery" fruit of blue stickseed as seen at the trailhead for trails #1629 and #1670 along the Lostine River in the Wallowa Mts. of northeastern Oregon.........July 8, 2007. The shorter intramarginal prickles can clearly be seen in the triangular, flat area between the maringal rows of longer prickles.

The photo above left shows a close-up of the inflorescence of blue stickseed as seen along Forest Road #020 at the Ray Ridge Viewpoint in the Umatilla National Forest of southeastern Washington........June 25, 2007. The photo at right shows blue stickseed as seen along FS Road #2230 between Mount Pisgah and East Point, Ochoco National Forest...........June 13, 2015.

The photo above shows a close-up of the "sticky" fruits of blue stickseed as seen along Forest Road #020 at the Ray Ridge Viewpoint in the Umatilla National Forest of southeastern Washington.........June 25, 2007.

The photo above shows a close-up lateral view of the flower and calyx of blue stickseed. Photographed at Dixie Butte, Malheur NF.......July 4, 2002.

The photo at left shows blue stickseed along the Pine Creek Trail #201 about one-half of a mile northwest of the Roads End Trailhead, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness......June 7, 2023. The photo at right shows the basal leaves of blue stickseed as seen at the trailhead for trails #1629 and #1670 along the Lostine River in the Wallowa Mts. of northeastern Oregon........July 8, 2007.

The photo above shows a close-up of the fruits of blue stickseed. Photographed at the Monument Rock Wilderness in central Oregon.........July 6, 2002.