Gentiana sceptrum Griseb.
king gentian (king's scepter gentian)
Gentianaceae (Gentian family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
king gentian (king's scepter gentian)
Gentianaceae (Gentian family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a thick, fleshy root; stems 1-many, ascending to erect, 0.2-1.2 m tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few, essentially reduced to short bracts; stem leaves opposite, oblong-lanceolate, 3-6 cm long, 7-15 mm wide, 10-15 pairs, the lowest reduced to short bracts joined at the base for most of their length, upper leaves becoming gradually larger.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of several stalked or unstalked flowers; corollas blue mottled with streaks of green, tubular to funnel-shaped, 3-4.5 cm long, 5-lobed, the lobes oblong to kidney-shaped, nerved, the plaits of the sinuses squared off or round, entire; calyx tubes 8-14 mm long, the lobes shorter than the tubes and narrowly lanceolate; stamens slightly shorter than the corolla tubes; anthers 3-4 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, elliptic-oblong; seeds spindle-shaped, wingless, finely net-veined, light brown, 1.5-2 mm long.
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.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Gentiana sceptrum
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)
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) |
353 | 0 | 1700 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
1 | 0 | 25 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
307 | 8 | 295 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
69 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(7), CMA(1), CWH(57), MH(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet to moist meadows, bogs and lake margins in the lowland and montane zones; common on Vancouver Island and adjacent coast, rare northward; S to N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Gentiana menziesii Griseb.
Gentiana sceptrum var. cascadensis M.E. Peck
Gentiana sceptrum var. humilis Engelm. ex Gray