About Synthyris missurica (Raf.) Pennell
Veronica missurica, with the synonym Synthyris missurica, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It has three common names: tailed kittentails, mountain kittentails, and Columbia kittentails. This plant is native to the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It grows in moist locations within forests, as well as other mountain and foothill habitat types. In its mountain habitat, it is often one of the first wildflowers to bloom each year, and sometimes it emerges before the snow has fully melted.
It is a rhizomatous perennial herb. It produces a rosette of basal leaves; these leaves have toothed, rounded blades that grow on petioles. Its inflorescence is a raceme made up of bright violet-blue flowers. Each individual flower is around half a centimeter long, and has two protruding stamens.
