Gentiana catesbyi Walter

Coastal Plain Gentian; Elliott's Gentian

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Coastal Plain Gentian is a native herbaceous perennial in the Gentian family (Gentianaceae). It can be found at scattered locations throughout the state, but is most common in the Coastal Plain. Coastal Plain Gentian occurs on creek banks, in steep moist ravines, and around springs. It is a perennial with a fibrous root system. The roots are thick and cord like. Stems are from 6-12 inches in length, and are often declining. The stems are unbranched, green in color, and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, sessile or short petiolate, elliptic to lanceolate in outline, with entire margins. The leaves are usually dark green in color and glabrous. Flowers are sessile in compact terminal cymes of 1-6 flowers. The calyx is green in color, glabrous, with lobes longer than the tube. The corolla is funnelform and is dark to light blue in color. Some flowers are almost white. The corolla lobes part only slightly at the apex, and the flowers never seem to “open”. The fruit is a capsule. Coastal Plain Gentian is listed as a S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and Globally as a G5 species (demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery). It is sometimes available from native plant nurseries. It prefers a constantly moist, organic-rich soil and full shade.--A. Diamond

Named after English naturalist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) who wrote the first account of the biota of North America entitled: Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1729-1747). Walter originally published the epithet as "catesbaei" but the Botanical Code provides an avenue to correct the spelling that more closely matches the Latinized form of the honoree's name following proper conjugation rules. Thus the epithet has been corrected to "catesbyi" (Weakley and Poindexter 2020).--B.R. Keener

Native OBL (NWPL) S1 (State Rank) G5 (Global Rank)

Weakley, A.S., and D.B. Poindexter. 2020. Previous and variable alterations of Mark Catesby’s name in honorific epithets are not sanctioned in the Code and are here (re)corrected, standardized, and simplified in Weakley, A.S., et al. 2020. Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern United States. VI. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 14: 199-239.