Photo by Jeff Nesta
Bottle Gentian is a Wisconsin native, perennial wildflower. It typically grows to a height of one to two feet and spreads about one to 1-1/2 feet wide. Its unique flowers are one to 1-1/2 inches long, tubular, and bottle-shaped, usually deep blue to violet in color, and remain closed even when mature. The leaves are up to four inches long and two inches wide, ovate to lanceolate in shape, tapering to a pointed tip, and arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. They attach directly to the stem without stalks and have smooth or slightly fringed edges with shiny, hairless upper surfaces. Bottle Gentian thrives in moist, rich soils and prefers part shade to full sun, commonly found in moist prairies, stream sides, floodplain forests, thickets, fens, and other swampy areas near water. (SF)