Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
Stiff Gentian is an interesting plant to have in the landscape. It is typically a biennial, but can sometimes act as an annual. It does do some self-seeding, so hopefully, it will stick around in the landscape. It is a late bloomer with interesting flowers, which is always nice to have in the gardens at that time of year. So far, information about floral-faunal relationships for Stiff Gentian has not been observed. However, the long tubular shape of the closed corollas suggests that long-tongued bees cross-pollinate the flowers (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Stiff Gentian is an interesting plant to have in the landscape. It is typically a biennial, but can sometimes act as an annual. It does do some self-seeding, so hopefully, it will stick around in the landscape. It is a late bloomer with interesting flowers, which is always nice to have in the gardens at that time of year. So far, information about floral-faunal relationships for Stiff Gentian has not been observed. However, the long tubular shape of the closed corollas suggests that long-tongued bees cross-pollinate the flowers (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Stiff Gentian is an interesting plant to have in the landscape. It is typically a biennial, but can sometimes act as an annual. It does do some self-seeding, so hopefully, it will stick around in the landscape. It is a late bloomer with interesting flowers, which is always nice to have in the gardens at that time of year. So far, information about floral-faunal relationships for Stiff Gentian has not been observed. However, the long tubular shape of the closed corollas suggests that long-tongued bees cross-pollinate the flowers (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Life Cycle: Annual, Biennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium/wet-Medium/dry
Height: 1-2 feet
Plant Spacing:
Bloom Time: August-October
Bloom Color: Purple
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Garden Plant
Host: 1 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
