Gentiana fremontii

Fremont's gentian, Fremont's Gentian

Family: Gentianaceae · Type: annual · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Fremont's gentian is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native annual found in the Southern California Transverse Ranges in wet mountain meadows at elevations of 2,400 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to pale blue flowers with dark blue undersides, delicate blossoms 7 to 15 millimeters long with narrow petals. Growing with decumbent to erect stems 2 to 10 centimeters tall, it appears compact and low-growing in alpine meadow settings. Its leaves are distinctive, with basal leaves shaped like wide spoons or rounded, measuring 2 to 13 millimeters long, and upper stem leaves narrow and strongly ascending. The plant bears a single flower per stem, with white-margined leaves that create a subtle, intricate appearance in its high-elevation habitat.

Habitat: Wet mountain meadows

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2400-2700 m

Bioregions: SnBr

California counties: San Bernardino

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