Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Gentianella anglica

Family

Gentianaceae

Flowering season

May to June

English distribution

It is found mainly in the South and is thinly scattered in the

Southeast and Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Early Gentian

Habitat

It grows on thin calcareous soils on grazed grassland,

cliff-tops, dunes and rocky places.

Description

Early gentian is a native annual or biennial herb growing up

to 20cm. It is usually shorter, like the ones shown here,

which were less than 5cm.

The flowers are up to 16mm across and either 4-merous

or 5-merous.

The petals are fused at the bottom to form a corolla tube.

At the top of the flower the petals are light purple and

spread out to form 4 or 5 pointed ovals with conspicuous

basal fringes.

The number of stamens is the same as the number of

petals.

There are 2 amorphous stigmas.

Sepals are lanceolate and roughly half the length of the

corolla tube.

Lower leaves are opposite and broadly lanceolate.

Upper leaves are lanceolate.