Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east in scattered locations in Idaho and Montana; widespread in central and eastern North America.

Habitat: Disturbed ground, often in forest understory.

Flowers: April-June

Origin: Introduced from Europe

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Mat-forming perennial, spreading by leafy stolons, the flowering stems 1-3 dm. tall, hairy on two sides.

Leaves opposite, ovate to oblong, 2-5 cm. long, glabrous, nearly entire, often bronze-colored, the lower long-petiolate.

Inflorescence a leafy spike, the flowers in verticils of 2-6 in the axils of the leaf-like bracts; calyx 4-6 mm. long, the 5 lobes triangular; corolla blue, 10-15 mm. long, the upper lip very short, the lower lip with lateral lobes reaching to the middle of the obcordate middle lobe; stamens 4, the lower pair the longer; style 2-lobed; ovary 4-lobed.

Nutlets 4, laterally attached, free from each other only on the upper third.