Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; south-central British Columbia to southwest Idaho.
Habitat: Sagebrush desert, dry slopes, basalt rimrock, and sand dunes
Flowers: May-July
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Annual, Biennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Puberulent annual or winter annual, the stems simple or branched, 0.5-4 dm. tall.
Leaves numerous; basal leaves oblanceolate, often deciduous, up to 6 cm. long and 1 cm. wide; cauline leaves linear-oblong to linear, reduced upward to the small lanceolate bracts of the inflorescence.
: Inflorescence of terminal, bracteate false-racemes with short pedicels; calyx cleft to the base, 2-4 mm. long; corolla inconspicuous, blue or white, equaling the calyx, the limb 1.5-2.5 mm. wide; nutlets surpassed by the style and narrowly attached to it; hairy appendages at the top of the tube opposite the corolla lobes.
Nutlets 4, the marginal prickles in a single row, distinct or united below to form a cup-like border.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Lappula longispina in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Lappula longispina checklist entry
OregonFlora: Lappula longispina information
E-Flora BC: Lappula longispina atlas page
CalPhotos: Lappula longispina photos