Aster conspicuus – Showy Aster Stout, unbranched perennial, 30-100 cm tall. Open woods, foothills to montane.
Flowerheads blue-violet, with 12-35 rays, many in clusters. Involucre glandular.
Leaves alternate, firm, sharp-toothed, elliptic, 6-15 cm long and 2-6 cm wide.
Erigeron speciosus – Showy Fleabane Stems often clustered, leafy, 15-80 cm tall. Open woods, foothills to montane.
Flowerheads blue, purple or pink, with 65-150 slender ray florets 9-18 mm long.
Leaves alternate, lance-shaped, hairless, entire, slightly clasping the stem.
Lactuca tatarica – Blue Lettuce Hairless plant, 20-100 cm tall. Meadows, thickets, plains to foothills.
Flowerheads blue, about 2 cm wide, with 18-50 rays, in open clusters.
Leaves alternate, narrowly lance-shaped, entire, the lower leaves with lobes.
BORAGINACEAE – BORAGE FAMILY:
Asperugo procumbens – Madwort Stems weak, scrambling, 4-angled, with backward prickles. Flowers blue, in leaf axils and forks of branches, 2-3 mm long and wide. Leaves thin, spoon-shaped, rough-stiff-hairy and bristly-hairy on the edges. Disturbed ground.
Mertensia ciliata – Mountain Bluebells Stems numerous, 15-100 cm tall. Flowers blue, nodding, 10-17 mm long, the limb about as long as the tube. Leaves alternate, elliptic to egg-shaped, with tapered bases. Moist to wet areas, foothills to subalpine.
Myosotis asiatica – Mountain Forget-me-not Stems hairy, 5-30 cm tall. Flowers bright blue, 4-8 mm wide, with an inner, small, yellow ring. Leaves alternate, lance- to spoon-shaped, tapered to the stalks and stiff-hairy. Moist, open sites, montane to alpine zone.
CAMPANULACEAE – HAREBELL FAMILY:
Campanula rapunculoides – Rampion Harebell Coarse plant, 30-100 cm tall. Introduced from Europe, can get weedy in gardens.
Flowers 15-35 mm long, numerous in tall, narrow, 1-sided clusters.
Leaves basal and alternate, broadly lance-shaped and small-toothed.
Campanula rotundifolia – Common Harebell Slender plant, 10-50 cm tall. Moist to dry sites, plains to subalpine.
Flowers 15-25 mm long, several in long, open clusters. Anthers 4.5-6.5 mm long.
Leaves alternate and basal, linear to narrowly lance-shaped.
FABACEAE – PEA FAMILY:
Lupinus arbustus – Long-spurred Lupine Stems 20-50 cm tall, finely short-flat-hairy to grayish-flat-silky-hairy.
Flowers 8-11 mm long, white or bluish-tinged. Banner short-hairy on the back.
Leaves with 7-11 leaflets, short-hairy on the lower surface and hairless above.
Lupinus argenteus – Silvery Lupine Stems 50-100 cm tall, flat-hairy to almost silky, often grayish-hairy.
Flowers 9-11 mm long. Calyx flat-silky-hairy. Banner mostly hairless.
Leaves with 6-9 leaflets, hairless above to short-flat-hairy on both surfaces.
Lupinus sericeus – Silky Lupine Stems 20-70 cm tall, silvery from spreading to flat hairs of two distinct lengths.
Flowers 10-12 mm long, on stalks 4-7 mm long. Banner silky-hairy on the back.
Leaves with 7-9 leaflets, about equally flat silky-hairy on the two surfaces.
Medicago sativa – Alfalfa Plant 30-100 cm tall. Introduced, mostly on disturbed ground, used for forage.
Flowers blue to whitish-yellow, 7-11 mm long, in rounded, stalked clusters.
Leaves are divided into 3 leaflets which are sharply toothed on upper halves.
GENTIANACEAE – GENTIAN FAMILY:
Gentiana calycosa – Mountain Bog Gentian Perennial, 5-30 cm tall. Meadows and swamps, montane to alpine zone.
Flowers are blue, tubular, with 5 lobes, about 3-4 cm long, solitary or 3 together.
Leaves opposite, 1-2.5 cm long, heart- to egg-shaped, blunt-tipped.
Gentianopsis thermalis – Rocky Mountain Fringed Gentian Hairless annual, 10-35 cm tall. Meadows, bogs, and moist ground.
Flowers blue, 35-55 mm long, tubular, with 4 spreading lobes which are fringed.
Leaves basal and opposite, oblanceolate to spatulate, 1.5-4 cm long.
IRIDACEAE – IRIS FAMILY:
Iris missouriensis – Rocky Mountain Iris Perennial, 20-50 cm tall, often bluish-coated. Meadows and streambanks.
Flowers blue, striped, 6-7 cm wide, with 3 bent-back sepals and 3 petals.
Leaves mainly basal, sword-shaped, 20-40 cm long and 5-10 mm broad.
Sisyrinchium montanum – Mountain Blue-eyed-grass Tufted perennial, stems 15-35 cm tall, flattened and winged. Meadows, marshes.
Flowers blue, 15-25 mm wide, with 6 spreading tepals, about 2-5 in a cluster.
Leaves basal, grass-like, 2-3 mm broad. The 2 upper bracts very unequal.
LILIACEAE – LILY FAMILY:
Triteleia grandiflora – Wild Hyacinth Stems 20-60 cm tall, leafless. Grasslands, meadows, sagebrush areas.
Flowers blue, ca 2 cm long, narrowly bell-shaped, in a top cluster.
Leaves: basal, 1-2, grass-like, flat but keeled beneath.
LINACEAE – FLAX FAMILY:
Linum lewisii – Western Blue Flax Slender, hairless perennial 10-60 cm tall, with several stems. Dry, open areas.
Flowers blue, showy, 2-4 cm across, the 5 broad petals soon dropped.
Leaves alternate, linear, numerous, 1-3 cm long and about 2 mm broad.
POLEMONIACEAE – PHLOX FAMILY:
Polemonium viscosum – Sticky Jacob's-ladder Perennial up to 20 cm tall, sticky glandular-hairy. Rocky places, mountains.
Flowers blue, funnel-shaped, 17-25 mm long, longer than wide.
Leaves mainly basal, with numerous small leaflets, these 2- to 5-cleft to base.
RANUNCULACEAE – BUTTERCUP FAMILY:
Clematis hirsutissima – Hairy Clematis Bushy, hairy herb, 30-60 cm tall. Moist or dry sites, foothills to montane zones.
Flowers dark purple, solitary, nodding with 4 joined, hairy, thick, leathery sepals.
Leaves gray-hairy, divided 2-4 times into thin, feathery segments.
Clematis occidentalis – Blue Clematis Woody vine, stems 0.5-5 m long. Woods and rocky areas, foothills-montane.
Flowers blue, nodding, solitary, with 4 spreading 4-6 cm long petal-like sepals.
Leaves opposite, compound, with 3 stalked, lance-shaped, 3-6 cm long leaflets.
Delphinium X occidentale – Tall Mountain Larkspur Stems partly sticky-glandular, 100-200 cm tall. Moist mountain meadows.
Flowers pale blue, many in tall, dense clusters. Spur long, thick near base.
Leaves alternate, palmately cut into 5-7 wedge-shaped, toothed segments.
Pulsatilla patens – Pasqueflower Tufted, silky-hairy plant, 10-40 cm tall. Well-drained, open mountain slopes.
Flowers solitary, hairy outside, 5-7 cm broad. Sepals 5-7, blue-purple.
Basal leaves long-stalked, finely cut in 3s. Stem leaves smaller, stalkless.
SCROPHULARIACEAE – FIGWORT FAMILY:
Besseya wyomingensis – Wyoming Kitten-tails Stems 10-60 cm tall, thick, single. Dry, open slopes, foothills to alpine.
Flowers grayish-purple, without petals, in dense spikes. Stamens 2, projecting.
Leaves mainly basal, egg-shaped, hairy, long-stalked, with rounded teeth.
Penstemon nitidus – Wax-leaved Penstemon Stems about 30 cm tall. Rocky or gravelly prairies at lower elevations.
Flowers blue, ca 15 mm long, crowded, with 1 yellow-hairy stamen inside.
Leaves elliptic, broad, thick, hairless with bluish cast. Upper leaves clasping.
Penstemon procerus – Slender Penstemon Stems slender, 10-40 cm tall, clumped. Dry to moist sites, plains-subalpine.
Flowers dark blue-purple, 6-11 mm long, in dense, often separated whorls.
Leaves narrowly oval to lance-shaped, 4-8 cm long, deep green.
Veronica americana – American Speedwell Stems often trailing, 10-60 cm long. Wet sites, often in water, foothills-subalpine.
Flowers blue, 5-10 mm wide, several in slender clusters from leaf axils.
Leaves opposite, elliptic, glossy, often small-toothed, with short stalks.
Veronica anagallis-aquatica – Water Speedwell Stems mostly erect, 10-60 cm long. Wet sites, often in water, foothills-subalpine.
Flowers bluish, 4-6 mm wide, many in long, slender clusters from leaf axils.
Leaves opposite, lance-shaped, matte, non-toothed, without stalks.
Veronica wormskjoldii – Alpine Speedwell Stems single, 5-30 cm tall, glandular-hairy. Moist, open sites, subalpine-alpine.
Flowers dark blue, 4-6 mm wide, several in short, dense clusters.
Leaves oblong to egg-shaped, 1-3 cm long, hairy, in few pairs.
SOLANACEAE – NIGHTSHADE FAMILY:
Solanum dulcamara – Climbing Nightshade Climbing perennial, introduced. Moist, partly shaded ground, on the plains.
Flowers blue, about 2 cm wide, with 5 pointed lobes and 5 yellow stamens.
Leaves alternate, spade-shaped, often with a pair of wing-like lobes at the base.
VIOLACEAE – VIOLET FAMILY:
Viola adunca – Early Blue Violet Perennial with leafy stems up to 10 cm tall. Dry to moist woods and open areas.
Flowers blue, 5-15 mm long, the spur about half the length of the lowest petal.
Leaves alternate, 1-3 cm wide, heart-shaped to ovate, finely blunt-toothed.
