Montana Field Guide

Slender Gentian is a small, glabrous, annual herb which stands 2-15 cm tall; Montana collections are on the small end of this range. The stems are 4-angled and may be branched; those of small plants are often unbranched. There are usually several spoon-shaped basal leaves which are 3-10 mm long, and few, if any, slightly larger, opposite stem leaves, which are 5-15 mm long. There are one to a few flowers per stem borne singly on long pedicels; stems of small plants are often reduced to single, flowered, leafless scapes. The flowers have 4 green sepals which are about half as long as the corolla. The white to bluish-purple corolla is 8-15 mm long and is tubular-shaped with 4 terminal lobes which are about one-third as long as the tube; the inner surface of each lobe has two fringed scales near its base. There are 4 stamens attached to the inside of the corolla tube and a single basal pistil.

Flowering in late July-August.

This species is distinguished from other Montana Gentianella by having flowers borne on long pedicels in an open inflorescence (in small plants, these are reduced to leafless scapes) with 4 distinct sepals and corolla lobes with fringed scales. Species of Gentiana differ by having corollas which are plicate.

Moist tundra, boulder fields, or rock ledges near or in alpine zone.