pleated gentian

not listed

NNR - Unranked

S3 - Vulnerable

Special Concern

FACU - Facultative upland

FACU - Facultative upland

FACU - Facultative upland

Pleated gentian is a 2″ to 16″ tall, erect or reclining, perennial forb that rises on 1 to several stems from a caudex

The stems are slightly reddish and may be erect or recline on the ground with only the tips ascending. They are unbranched below the inflorescence. They are densely covered with minute, fine hairs, often in lines as below the leaf margins.

The leaves are opposite, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, thick, ⅜″ to 1½″ long, and ⅛″ to ⅝″ wide. They have 1 main vein and 2 smaller lateral veins. The upper surface is hairless. The lower surface is hairless except for hairs on the midvein. The margins are untoothed and have a fringe of minute hairs along the entire margin.

The inflorescence is a cluster of 1 to several flowers at the top of the stem and often individual flowers rising on short stalks from the upper leaf axils.

The flowers are ¾″ to 1⅜″ long.

Each flower is subtended by 5 green sepals (calyx) fused at the base into a ⅛″ to 5 ⁄16″ long tube, then separated into 5 linear lance-shaped lobes that are unequal in size and less than half to nearly as long as the tube. The calyx tube is minutely hairy along the margin.

There are 5 blue petals alternating with 5 obviously shorter plaits, all fused at the base and for most of their length into a bell shaped, ¾″ to 1⅜″ long corolla tube, then separated into 5 lobes. The lobes are oblong egg-shaped, 1 ⁄16″ to ¼″ long, unequal in size, sometimes virtually suppressed, spreading, and pointed or rounded at the tip. The lobes have numerous, conspicuous, white or pale spots. The tube is often cleft once or twice, especially when a lobe is suppressed. The plaits are toothed at the tip.

In the center of the corolla tube is a pistil with a white, 2-lobed stigma, surrounded by 5 stamens with white filaments and white anthers. The anthers are separate, not fused together.

The fruit is an elliptical, one-chambered capsule with numerous seeds.

2″ to 16″

Blue

Downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta) flower is larger. The corolla lobes do not have pale spots.

Moist. Saline wetlands in native prairie remnants.

August through September

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Rare in Minnesota

Two varieties of pleated gentian have been described. Only the nominate variety, var. affinis, occurs in Minnesota. Most sources do not recognize any varieties.