Blue Stickseed, Jessica Sticktight, Meadow Forget-me-not
Hackelia micrantha
Synonyms: Hackelia jessicae, Lappula micrantha
- 
- 
Blue stickseed beginning to bloom as seen in forest openings near the southwest corner of the summit of Grizzly Peak, Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.......May 27, 2021.
The
photo at right shows a close-up view of the flower of blue stickseed. Photographed
at Dixie Butte, Malheur NF............July 4, 2002.
Characteristics:
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.
Similar Species:
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.
Habitat:
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.
Range:
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.
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.
- 
- 
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.
- 
Blue stickseed as seen in vernally moist meadows at Summit Prairie, Malheur National Forest..........May 28, 2014.
The photo above shows blue stickseed at Dixie
Butte, Malheur NF........July 4, 2002.
A violet-flowered form of blue stickseed as seen in open forest near Antelope Mountain Lookout, Malheur National Forest.......June 25, 2011.
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 photo above 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 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 above 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.
Paul Slichter