Some species are evergreen but most are deciduous with attractive rosettes of leaves and flowers emerging from the ground in very early spring . Flowering stems rise from the top of the plant which many times may still have green leaves after winter. The flowering stems have small leaves and flowers are in clustered cymes. Most plants have funnel shaped flowers with somewhat flaring mouths and small notches on the petal apexes. The petals are fused together into one corolla which is an identifing characteristic of the family Boranginaceae.
Flower colors can be red, blue, white or violet.
Flowers close at night and open again in the morning. New leaves begin to grow a few days to weeks after the first flowers open. The first flowers may open when stems are only 1 inch out of the ground and more flowers open over the next few weeks as the stems reach their full height, which is generally around 10-18 inches for most forms. Roots are white and thickly fibrous showing the typical size and structur for plants adapted for damp and wet soils. Pulmonaria should be planted in a somewhat shady area, like under deciduous trees.