About Hackelia nervosa (Kellogg) I.M.Johnst.
Hackelia nervosa, commonly known as Sierra stickseed, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. It is native to the mountains of California, particularly the Sierra Nevada and its foothills, where it grows in areas with some moisture at elevations up to near treeline. Its range may also extend into Nevada. Sierra stickseed is a perennial herb that grows from basal patches of oblong leaves, each reaching up to 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long. Erect stems grow to heights between 40 and 70 centimeters (16 and 28 inches), bearing gradually fewer and smaller leaves toward their tops. Stems hold cyme inflorescences of deep sky blue to violet flowers, and the flower buds are often pink. Each small flower has five oblobes with rounded ends, and a slightly raised appendage at the base of each lobe forms a white ring around the yellow anthers. The flowerheads start out quite compact, but as they mature, stems and petioles elongate to give the inflorescence a more open shape. The fruit, which gives the plant its common name "stickseed", is a nutlet around half a centimeter long, covered in barb-tipped prickles that stick to almost any surface, a trait that gives the whole genus its common name.
