Leaf
Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Spring gentian
Gentiana verna L.
Family: Gentianaceae
5 to 10 cm tall
Mountain grassland
Flowering: April – July depending on altitude
Full sun
Very hardy, to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The most intense and purest blue in the whole European mountain flora.
🍃 Leaves
Small, ovate, in a dense basal rosette
🌸 Flowers
Intense blue, 5-pointed star, solitary at the end of a short stem
🍎 Fruits
Small capsule with many seeds
🪵 Bark
Cushion-forming herbaceous plant, short woody rootstock
🗺️ Distribution
Mountains of Europe (Alps, Pyrenees); found in alpine grassland, rather rare outside the mountain ranges.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small, intense bright blue flowers, visited by mountain butterflies and bees in spring.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Alpine rock gardens, troughs and rock gardens at altitude; demanding to grow in the lowlands.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌿 Other Gentianaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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