Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Gentianales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Gentiana decora
FAMILY
Gentianaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Appalachian Gentian at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Read more about the southeastern Gentians in Jim Fowler's blog.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Gentiana decora
FAMILY
Gentianaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 155-02-006:
Gentiana decora FAMILY Gentianaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dasystephana decora
COMMON NAME:
Appalachian Gentian, Showy Gentian
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm090913_018
September Jackson County NC
Corolla tubes slightly to widely open, whitish with light blue stripes, per Gentians of the Eastern US (Drake, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm090913_021
September Jackson County NC
Upper leaves lanceolate- or ovate-elliptical, possibly with acuminate tips, per Gentians of the Eastern US (Drake, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm090913_023
September Jackson County NC
Calyx lobes relatively small, 2-8mm long, subulate to oblanceolate, per Gentians of the Eastern US (Drake, 2011).
)
JK Marlow jkm190914_1558
September Swain County NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow jkm220909_9838
September Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm0510b_12
October Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4596
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4641
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4643
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4644
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4645
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm211027_4646
October Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm061103_018
November Oconee County SC
Sumter National Forest: Andrew Pickens Ranger District
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Gentiana decora
FAMILY
Gentianaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Gentiana decora
FAMILY
Gentianaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 155-02-006:
Gentiana decora
FAMILY
Gentianaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Dasystephana decora
603
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Mountains (rare in Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Whitish with light blue stripes
Radially symmetrical
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed corolla
5 stamens
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gentians of the Eastern US (Drake, 2011) p092
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p132
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p155
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p173
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p427
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p213
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p185
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p221
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p124
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".