It was getting late when we drove down off the
ridge and weren’t really taking as much notice as usual in the fading light.
But then we spotted some gentian plants on an embankment beside the road. There
were probably a dozen plants, each about 18 to 24 inches tall.
The plants were close to the road
A closer view of the top of a plsnt
Flowers
lower on the plant
Flowers
at the tip of the plant
Buds
on another stem
An
open flower. This isn’t the best photo since the light was low but we take what
we can get.
Not
being that familiar with gentians, I thought this was Gentiana villosa, the
Striped Gentian but as I researched it further, I came to the conclusion that
this was Gentiana decora, the Showy or Appalachian Gentian.
Gentian decora (Showy Gentian, Appalachian
Gentian, Striped Gentian) is native to the United States where it had been
documented in southeastern states: Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky,
Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Georgia. In Georgia, it’s been
documented only in a few counties in North Georgia including Union County.
Click on an image to view a larger image
Identification
resources:
Southeastern Flora: Gentiana decora (Showy Gentian)
Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas
and Georgia: Gentiana decora (Appalachian Gentian, Showy Gentian)
Alan Cressler: Gentiana decora
Jim Petranka: Gentiana decora (Appalachian Gentian)
Distribution:
United
States Department of Agriculture Plants Database:
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