Native Plants of the Great Lakes
North Branch Restoration Project:
Native Plant and Seed Collection
Gentiana Andrewsii / Family:
Gentianaceae
Bottle Gentian, Swink/Wilhelm #8
FLOWERING: Late August to late October
SEED TIMING: Late October to early November
HABITAT: Wet to mesic prairie
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES: 1/2 to 2 feet. Doesn’t like tall
neighbors. Lance-shaped, stemless, opposite leaves tend to bend
downward. Flowers are deep blue and never open forming a bottle
shape.
TO PICK: Flower petals turn tan, enclosing a seed pod that
elongates and opens to release thousands of tan, wafer-like seeds.
If seeds are sticky, wet, or pale green they are not ripe enough to
pick. Shake pods into a small plastic bag to collect seeds or pick
whole pod. |
