Tufted perennial, few-many-stemmed from a thickened taproot, glabrous, or shortly and sparsely hirsute near base; stems erect, ascending or sprawling, 10–80(–100) cm long, usually many-branched, usually leafy throughout; leaves alternate or opposite for a few pairs near base, obovate (usually near base) to linear (above), 3–70 mm long, 1–10 mm wide; margins of broader leaves commonly with small callus-teeth, others usually entire. Hypanthium obconical to obovoid, 1–3 mm long, glabrous; calyx-lobes erect, narrow-triangular, 1–3 mm long, glabrous; corolla campanulate, pale blue, tube 1–4.5 mm long, from shorter to longer than calyx-lobes, lobes elliptic to obovate, 1.5–6 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, acute; style 1.5–6.5 mm long, not or indistinctly constricted near midway, lobes (2–)3, linear. Capsule obconical to obovoid, 2.5–7 mm long, 1.5–3.5 mm wide. Flowers mostly Sep.–Jan.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp. All States except WA. New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia. Except for mallee areas, northern plains and the alps, a common and widespread species, often occurring in disturbed sites, and sometimes weedy in gardens, nurseries, footpaths etc. Probably more widespread than mapped records (from MEL specimens) indicate.
