Gentiana glauca Pall.
glaucous gentian (pale gentian)
Gentianaceae (Gentian family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #60792)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Gentiana glauca
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems erect, solitary, simple, yellow-green, glabrous, 4-15 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves elliptic to oval, 1-2 cm long, forming a rosette; stem leaves opposite, 2-4 pairs, egg-shaped to more elongate, 5-10 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an erect, terminal, flat-topped cluster of short-stalked flowers; corollas deep blue, greenish-blue or rarely yellowish-white, tubular, 1-2 cm long, lobes 5, widely triangular, 2-2.5 mm long, sinuses with small plicate lobes; calyces 5-7 mm long; stamens shorter than the corolla tubes; anthers up to 1.5 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, 1-chambered, broadly lanceolate; seeds flattened, pale tan, honeycomb-pitted, irregularly wrinkled, wing-margined, 0.7-1.0 mm long.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Gentiana glauca

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1786 55 3000
Slope Gradient (%)
16 0 78

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

238 0 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 0 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
308
Modal BEC Zone Class
BAFA

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

AT(9), BAFA(112), BWBS(2), cma(2), ESSF(88), IMA(42), MH(2), MS(1), SBS(3), SWB(34)

Habitat and Range

Moist to mesic meadows in the alpine zone; frequent in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains in BC, rare on the coast; amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB and S to MT and N WA; E Asia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Dasystephana glauca (Pall.) Rydb.
Gentianodes glauca (Pall.) A. Löve & D. Löve