General: Upright perennial plant with creeping rootstalks and showy purple flowers. Foliage rough to touch with small, stiff hairs.

Very aggressive plant spreading by rhizomes, a nuisance weed in gardens and disturbed ground.

Flowers: Flowers purple, bell-shaped, pendant, each flower growing on a short stalk. Inflorescence is one-sided on stems, and grow in a long spike, the spike growing for about 1/2 length of the stem. We measured a flower at 2.5 cm long by 3 cm wide.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate, lower leaves cordate with stalks, we measured a lower leaf at 6.5 cm wide by 9 cm long. Upper leaves sessile, lanceolate, we measured an upper leaf at 8 cm long by 22 mm wide. Margins of leaves with small teeth, ciliate, bottom of leaves rough to touch with small, stiff hairs.

Height: Height in Budd's Flora is listed to 100 cm, we measured plants to 106 cm tall.

Habitat: Gardens and waste ground.

Abundance: Common.

Origin: Introduced.

When and where photographed: These photos were taken July 15th in a neighbour's yard in our home of Regina, SK.

Thank you to Chris for letting us walk on his lawn to photograph this plant.