Gentianopsis virgata ssp. virgata

Native

Wet. Bogs, meadows, shores.

August to October

Bright blue

4″ to 20″

This is a 4″ to 20″ tall, erect, annual forb that rises on a single stem from a taproot.

The stems are erect, hairless, leafy, and unbranched or with a few branches above the middle.

Basal and lower stem leaves are opposite and spatula-shaped. Upper stem leaves are opposite, linear or narrowly linear lance-shaped, stalkless, 1″ to 2½″ long, and less than ⅜″ wide. They taper to a point at the tip. The upper and lower surfaces are hairless. The margins are untoothed.

The inflorescence is 1 to 6 solitary flowers at the end of the stem and each of the branches. Each flower is on a long stalk.

The flowers are narrowly bell-shaped, erect, ¾″ to 2¼″ high, and and 1½″ to 2″ wide. There are 4 light green sepals fused together from the base into a ⅝″ to 1¼″ long tube, then separated into 2 long and 2 short lobes. The lobes are erect, pointed, and hairless or nearly hairless. The midrib of each sepal forms a bumpy keel. There are 4 bright blue petals fused from the base for three-quarters of their length into a tube then separated at the tip into 4 lobes. There are no pleats between the petals. The lobes are spatula-shaped, rounded, and widely spaced though usually somewhat ascending. They lobe margin is shallowly fringed near the throat and toothed toothed toward the tip. The flowers open on sunny days and remain closed on cloudy days.

The fruit is a spindle-shaped, 1-chambered capsule containing many seeds.

Greater fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) is a larger plant, reaching up to 32″ in height. The leaves are lance-shaped, not linear. The petal margins are deeply fringed around their entire margin except near the base.