Erect perennial herb to 1 m high, often suckering, silvery-green, rarely rusty-green, densely pubescent with stellate hairs; prickles to 5 mm long, reddish, straight, most abundant on stems, less common elsewhere. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, mostly 2.5–10 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, upper ones entire, lower ones shallowly lobed, slightly discolorous, both surfaces densely pubescent; petiole 0.5–2 cm long. Inflorescences simple, 1–4-flowered; peduncle 0.5–1 cm long. Flowers on pedicels c. 10 mm long, lengthening to 2–3 cm in fruit; calyx 9–10 mm long, accrescent in fruit, lobes subulate, 4–5 mm long; corolla rotate-stellate, 20–30 mm diam., blue, rarely white, pink or purple, lobes acute; anthers 5–12 mm long. Berry depressed globose, 8–14 mm diam., orange-brown; seeds 2.5–4 mm long, light brown. Flowers spring–autumn.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, Gold, CVU, DunT, NIS. Also naturalised WA, NT, SA, Qld, NSW. Native to North and South America; widely naturalised in other countries. A widespread weed, mainly of cereal growing areas and pasture.
