Fibrous-rooted perennial 3-6 dm; principal lvs in a basal rosette, oblong or obovate- oblong in outline, 1-2 dm, deeply pinnately lobed into rounded segments (rarely unlobed), on petioles 3-10 cm; cauline lvs 1(-3) pair, much smaller, short-petioled or sessile; primary infl 1-3 dm, the few verticils widely separated, ca 6-fld; cal at anthesis 1 cm, the upper lip truncate, 3-aristate, about as long as the tube, the lower lip longer; cor blue or violet, 2-2.5 cm, the lips much shorter than the tube; 2n=36. Upland woods and thickets, sometimes weedy; Conn. to Pa., s. O., s. Ill., and Mo., s. to Fla. and Tex. May, June.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.