Blue-eyed Mary

Annual herb 5-40 cm tall from a taproot. Leafy stems usually erect of ascending, however, sometimes long and sprawling; may be simple or branched. Middle and upper leaves are opposite (or whorled), oblong to lance-shaped, 1-4 cm long, though smaller and bract-like in the inflorescence. Lower leaves are oblong to spoon-shaped and are stalked. Leaves: Leaves are usually hairless while stems are often covered in minute hairs that may be glandular. Flowers: Flowers are two-lipped, 4-8 mm long. The upper lip is white and two lobed; the lower lip is blue and three lobed; four stamens. Flowers are borne in the leaf axils on hairy stalks. Fruit: Fruit is a smooth, reddish-brown capsule 3-5 mm long, football-shaped, usually bearing four seeds (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).