Andrews' Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Gentian family (Gentianaceae)
Andrews' bottle gentian is a lax, sprawling, perennial herb, reaching 1-2 feet tall. Its stems are usually unbranched, but several can arise from the taproot. The sessile, whorled to opposite leaves are dark green, shiny, and ovate to broadly lance-shaped with parallel venation. Borne in tight terminal clusters and sometimes in the leaf axils of upper leaves, the dark blue to purplish blue to purple to sometimes pale violet, 5-lobed flowers are bottle-shaped, cylindrical, and nearly closed at the fringed tips. Even in full bloom, they look like they are in bud about to open. Only large bees like bubblebees can force their way into to sip the nectar and pollinate the flowers. There are longitudinal ridges along the outer edge of the flower, giving it a wrinkly appearance. Flowers from August to October or until frost. Found throughout much of the northeastern and central US and Canada and the Mid-Atlantic states. It occurs mainly in moist to wet shaded to open areas in meadows, damp ravines, prairies, fens, and shorelines on rich soil. Often occurs on calcareous soil. Also known as closed gentian, closed bottle gentian, Andrew’s gentian, fringe-tipped closed gentian, and fringe-top closed gentian.
Listed as Threatened in MA, MD, NH, and VT; Historical in RI; and exploitably vulnerable in NY.
Copyright Brett Miley
