Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa Raf.)

Gentianaceae (Gentian Family)

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Paired, lance-shaped leaves line the usually unbranched, 2 ft. stem. Small groups of blue flowers, which always remain closed, occur in tight clusters at the top of the stem and, in well-developed plants, from lower leaf axils. Upper flowers are subtended by a whorl of leaves.

The Bottle Gentian is a member of the family Gentianaceae. Gentians are leafy herbs, commonly with showy bell- or trumpet-shaped flowers blooming in a branched cluster. There are about 70 genera and 1,100 species that occur in many different habitats in temperate and subtropical regions. Some gentians are cultivated as ornamentals.

Photographic Location: Cumberland Mountain State Park in TN.