The flowers are pink in bud but become blue as they mature, as in some other Boraginaceae.
1. Plant with stiff hairs on calyx, pedicels, leaves, and stems; corolla 10–14 mm long; calyx lobes acute; northwestern Upper Peninsula.
M. paniculata
1. Plant glabrous throughout, glaucous; corolla (14–) 16–22 (–26) mm long; calyx lobes obtuse or nearly so; southern Lower Peninsula (except as escaped from cultivation).
M. virginica
All species found in Mertensia
Citation:
MICHIGAN FLORA ONLINE. A. A. Reznicek, E. G. Voss, & B. S. Walters. February 2011. University of Michigan. Web. May 25, 2022. https://michiganflora.net/genus.aspx?id=Mertensia.