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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GENTIAN FAMILY | |||||||||
| The gentians are found in many parts of the world, but are especially common in temperate to subtropical regions. All of the plants in this family are herbs. They have an association with fungi in the soil that helps the plant to obtain nutrients. The leaves are always opposite and without a leaf stalk. The flowers may be at the ends of the plants or in the upper leaf axils. The flowers may be small and greenish or large and purplish or white in colour. The petals often have hairs, scales or nectaries at the base or within the petal tube. The stamens are attached on the petals in most genera. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| PRAIRIE GENTIAN | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Gentiana puberulenta | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Prairie gentian is a slightly hairy perennial. The lower leaves are smaller and more scale-like than the upper leaves. There may be up to 19 pairs of upper stem leaves. The flowers are in dense clusters at the top of the plant or in the leaf upper axils. The flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The sepals form a tube with lobes that are about as long as the petals. The petals are fused but the lobes are spreading at maturity and are pleated between the lobes. The petals are blue or purple in colour and the anthers do not appear to be attached. The capsule releases flattened, winged seeds. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Prairie gentian grows on the prairies. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in central Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Prairie gentian is endangered because it is extremely rare in Saskatchewan and is restricted to one very small region. Immediate and probable threats have been identified. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PRAIRIE GENTIAN | |||||||||
| * Are petals blue or purple in colour? * Are the petal lobes spreading? * Are there up to 19 pairs of leaves? * Did you find it in central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found prairie gentian! | |||||||||
