Buglossoides arvensis (L.) I. M. Johnst., field bugloss. Annual, taprooted, not rosetted, initially 1—3–stemmed at base, erect, in range mostly to 45 cm tall; shoots with cauline leaves and leaflike bractlets, conspicuously short–hispid and short–strigose with upward–pointing hairs having bulbous bases (pustulate).
Stems cylindric, in range < 3 mm diameter, initially with 2 low ridges descending from each cauline leaf, often purple to purplish red, conspicuously short–strigose lacking scattered, erect, long stiff hairs.
Leaves helically alternate (opposite decussate at the lowest 2 nodes above cotyledons), simple, petiolate (the lowest leaves) and sessile, without stipules; petiole of the lowest leaves to 5 mm long, indistinct from blade; blade oblanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate to oblong and lanceolate–oblong, in range 13—93 × 3—12 mm, dull dark green, tapered at base, entire with margins inrolled (blade appearing more narrow), acute with a callus tip, midrib only visible and conspicuously sunken on upper surface and raised on lower surface, upper surface short–hispid with ascending hairs, lower surface short–strigose or short–hispid.
Inflorescence leafy cyme, terminal on main and lateral stems, several–flowered, lossely flowered and not 1—sided, buds and open flowers never coiled at tip, flowers at anthesis subsessile, with alternate leafy bractlets, short–strigose and short–hispid; bractlet subtending inflorescence = cauline leaf, oblong to narrowly lanceolate to acute–linear, 6—7 × 0.5—0.7 mm, hispid–strigose with bulbous bases, hairs to 1 mm long and pointing upward; peduncle cylindric, densely short–strigose.
Flower bisexual, ± radial, 3—5 mm across; calyx 5–lobed, at anthesis with erect to ascending lobes becoming ascending to spreading in fruit, hispid and strigose with upward–pointing stiff hairs; tube cup–shaped, ca. 0.5 mm long increasing 2× in fruit; lobes conspicuously unequal, narrowly lanceolate to triangular–linear, 3.5—5.5 × 0.4—0.6 mm increasing 2× in fruit, acute at tip, 1–veined with midvein sunken on upper surface and raised on lower surface, inner surface soft short–strigose base–to–tip; corolla 5–lobed, trumpet–shaped (salverform), tubular portion > calyx, visible portion white, outer surface strigose, in bud slightly bulging and yellowish on throat opposite calyx lobes; tube flared around ovary, to 1 mm long and wide, white; throat 4—5 × 1 mm, lower throat purple and 1 mm long, midthroat yellowish, upper throat pure white, lacking appendages, lining of midthroat with 5 glutinous, puberulent vertical strips of whitish papillate hairs and stalked glandular hairs; lobes rounded, 1.1—1.3 mm long, overlapping at margins, sometimes upper surface with several appressed hairs; stamens 5, fused to corolla tube ca. 0.5 above base and at purple–red zone, included; filaments 0.2—0.3 mm long, whitish; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal, 1.1—1.3 mm long, pale yellow often with colorless tip, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen whitish; nectary disc beneath ovary inconspicuous; pistil 1; ovary superior, deeply 4–lobed, lobes 3–sided ovoid, 0.5—0.6 × 0.5—0.6 mm, green, rounded on back, glabrous and minutely bumpy at anthesis; style included, arising from center of ovary lobes, 1—1.6 mm long, translucent to pale green, glabrous; stigma capitate, with 2 lateral and 2 terminal lobes, white.
Fruits nutlets, typically 3—4, erect, triangular–ovoid, 2.5—2.8 × 1.7—1.9 mm, brown, lateral angles acute, outer face minutely bumpy (tuberculate) and with poorly defined short ridges, inner face keeled with groove ± closed; style ca. 1 mm long.
A. C. Gibson