Annual or rarely biennial herb, 20–120 cm high, erect; branches 1–several from base, densely covered with coarse spreading hairs. Leaves densely hairy, apex acute or obtuse, margins entire; rosette leaves oblanceolate to obovate, 4–25 cm long, 8–70 mm wide; cauline leaves oblong-lanceolate, bases cordate to auriculate. Inflorescence conical, cymes elongated; bracts shorter or longer than sepals. Sepals linear-lanceolate, 8–11 mm long, acute, elongating to c. 15 mm in fruit, hairy; corolla 20–30 mm long, hairy outside and inside, purplish-blue, rarely pink or white, lobes broad-ovate, 2–6 mm long, much shorter than tube; nectary scales 5, arranged around ovary; stamens inserted near throat, posterior 2 long-exserted from corolla, others more or less included. Mericarps 2–3 mm long, rugose with pointed tubercles, grey-brown. Flowers mainly Jul.–Jan.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, VAlp. Naturalised all States. Native to Europe. A widespread and troublesome weed of pastures and disturbed places. Although declared a noxious weed in Victoria it is often used as fodder in drought-prone areas and is valued by apiarists as a source of nectar and pollen.
