King’s Gentian

Gentiana sceptrum

Photo Credit: Robert A. Nisbet, wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Plant Description

King’s gentian is a a beautiful wildflower with brilliant blue-purple flowers that bloom in autumn. It prefers moist areas and can produce large colonies in areas where it is happy, but is generally found in smaller communities. Bumblebees pollinate gentian by prying the flowers open to access the nectar within.

Plant Details

Life Forms	Forb
Habitats	Floodplains Forest edges Gardens Lakes Little Habitats Marshes Meadows Ponds Residential yards Riparian areas Rivers Seeps Streams Swamps Waterways Wet prairies Wetlands
Soil and Moisture Conditions	Moist Moist to wet Poorly drained Seasonally flooded soil
Special Uses	Attracts pollinators and or other beneficial insects Autumn color Blooms September-October Erosion control Flowering Flowers blue Flowers blue/purple Herbaceous Ornamental Perennial Produces nectar Provides soil stabilization
Shade Preference	Full sun Part shade
Mature Height	1.5'