Photo by Jeff Nesta
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Bottle gentian is a native perennial in Wisconsin, usually one to two feet tall and spreading about a foot or slightly more. Its flowers are one to one and a half inches long, deep blue to violet, tubular, and tightly closed even at maturity. The blooms cluster at the tips of the stems late in the season and are pollinated mainly by strong bumblebees that force their way inside.
The leaves are opposite, ovate to lanceolate, and attach directly to the stem without stalks. They are generally up to four inches long and about two inches wide, tapering to a pointed tip. The upper surface is smooth and shiny; the lower surface is similar but slightly duller. The margins are smooth. Bottle gentian grows in moist, rich soils and handles part shade to full sun. It is found in moist prairies, stream edges, floodplain forests, thickets, fens, and other wet to mesic habitats near water.
Sources:
USDA Plants Database – Gentiana andrewsii
Flora of North America – Gentiana andrewsii
Illinois Wildflowers – Bottle Gentian
Minnesota Wildflowers – Bottle Gentian
(SF)