Gentiana calycosa

Explorers' gentian, Explorers' Gentian

Family: Gentianaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Explorers' gentian is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range high elevations, and Sierra Nevada High Country in wet mountain meadows and slopes at elevations of 1,300 to 3,900 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces deep blue to violet flowers with delicate 25 to 50 millimeter corollas featuring oblong-ovate lobes. Growing with multiple decumbent stems 5 to 45 centimeters tall arising from a caudex, it develops numerous cauline leaves that are ovate to nearly round. Its leaves measure 8 to 50 millimeters long and 6 to 30 millimeters wide, with obtuse to acute tips and subtle, minute serrations along the edges. The flower's distinctive calyx ranges 10 to 20 millimeters long with narrow to wide-ovate lobes that are obtuse to acute.

Habitat: Wet mountain meadows, slopes

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 1300-3900 m

Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SNH

California counties: El Dorado, Tulare, Siskiyou, Madera, Nevada, Alpine, Plumas, Trinity, Mendocino, Kern, Fresno, Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Del Norte, Placer, Humboldt, Mono, Inyo, Butte, Amador, Mariposa, Tuolumne

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