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Gentianaceae
Field Gentian
Gentianella campestris
Alpine modesty.
- Family
- Gentianaceae
- Genus
- Gentianella
- Native to
- Europe
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- annual herb
- Height
- 0.5-1 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- poor, calcareous, short grassland
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- annual
Did you know
- Unlike most gentians which have five petals, field gentian has four petals — an unusual characteristic that distinguishes the genus Gentianella from Gentiana.
- It is considered an indicator species of traditionally managed, low-fertility grasslands; its decline across Europe signals the loss of hay meadow habitats.
- The flowers close completely on dull days and at night, a behavior that protects pollen from dew and rain — it was once called the 'barometer plant' for this sensitivity.
- In Scandinavia, field gentian is used to make a traditional bitter liqueur called 'Gentian spirits,' prized for digestive properties similar to those of its larger relatives.
- It can complete its life cycle in as little as six weeks in optimal conditions, making it an opportunistic colonizer of bare soil in mountain grasslands.
Color meanings
0
simple beauty
1
mountain purity
2
directness