Perennial 3-10 dm, simple, often hairy, especially below; lvs ascending, obovate to oblanceolate or lanceolate, 5-10 cm, hairy, the upper gradually reduced to bracts; raceme slender, crowded; bracts lanceolate to linear; pedicels 2-5 mm, bibracteolate at base; hypanthium short, obconic, this and the narrowly lanceolate sep smooth or hirtellous, the sep often with conspicuous reflexed basal auricles; cor blue to white, 7-11 mm, the lower lip bearded at base within; 2n=14. Various habitats, often weedy; Que. and N.S. to Minn., s. to Ga. and Ark. Four vars.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.