Eustoma exaltatum subsp. exaltatum

Family: Gentianaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Seaside gentian is a California native perennial found in southern California, the Peninsular Ranges, and the Sonoran Desert in alkaline marshes and roadsides at elevations of 100 to 600 meters. Flowering essentially year-round, this plant produces pale to deep violet-blue flowers 2 to 4.5 centimeters long with white throats marked by dark purple blotches. Growing 15 to 100 centimeters tall with multiple upright stems, it develops a robust branching structure. Its leaves range from spoon-shaped to elliptic, with basal leaves 2 to 10 centimeters long and cauline leaves 1.5 to 9 centimeters long, varying from obtuse to acute in shape. The flower's elegant violet-blue petals with distinctive white and dark purple throat markings make this gentian a striking presence in wet, open habitats.

Habitat: Roadsides, alkaline marshes, other open, wet places

Bloom period: +- all year

Elevation: 100-600 m

Bioregions: SCo, PR, DSon

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.