Bottle Gentian

Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District

Bottle Gentian (Closed Gentian)
Gentiana andrewsii [C-value 8]
Gentian family (Gentianaceae)
Blooms mid-August - September

The lovely native Bottle Gentian is uncommon in our area. It prefers full or partial sun and moist rich soil. Habitats include moist black soil prairies, openings in floodplain forests, fens, and swampy areas. This perennial's central stem is 1-2' tall, round and hairless with uppermost opposite leaves up to 4½" long and 2" across, often whorled and stalkless against the stem. The stem terminates in a cluster of flowers immediately above the whorled leaves. These 1–1½" long flowers are bottle-shaped, looking like oversized flower buds even when mature. Its corolla remains closed at the top even when the flower is ready to receive pollinating insects.

Bottle Gentian at Richard Young Forest Preserve September 22, 2014

Bottle Gentian stem at Richard Young Forest Preserve September 22, 2014

Bottle Gentian at Richard Young Forest Preserve September 16, 2014

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