Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Gentiana sceptrum
King's gentian, staff gentian
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to northwest California.

Habitat: Bogs and wet places, especially along the coast, at low elevations.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees

Description:
General:

Tufted perennial herbs from thick, fleshy roots, the 1-many stems 2-12 dm. tall.

Leaves:

Leaves opposite, 10-15 pairs, the lower 2-5 reduced to short bracts that are attached to each other at the base; upper leaves oblong-lanceolate, 3-6 cm. long and 7-15 mm. broad, gradually reduced downward.

Flowers:

Flowers several, mostly clustered at the top of the stem on short pedicels, some in the leaf axils on bractless pedicels 3-20 mm. long; calyx about half as long as the corolla, bluish tinged, the tube 8-14 mm. long, the 5 lobes narrowly to broadly lanceolate, shorter that the tube to twice as long; corolla bluish with greenish streaks or mottling, the 5 lobes oval, 6-9 mm. long, with short, rounded, entire projections in the sinuses; the 5 stamens attached to the corolla tube for about 1/3 the length of the corolla, the attached portioned broadly winged, the free portion 10-15 mm. long; ovary superior, with a stipe.

Fruits:

Capsule about equaling the dried, persistent corolla.

Accepted Name:
Gentiana sceptrum Griseb.
Publication: Gen. Sp. Gent. 293. 1838.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
(none provided)
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Gentiana sceptrum in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Gentiana sceptrum checklist entry

OregonFlora: Gentiana sceptrum information

E-Flora BC: Gentiana sceptrum atlas page

CalPhotos: Gentiana sceptrum photos

23 photographs:
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