(Closed Gentian). Two similar species are in the Garden. G. clausa is a gentian whose 1 1/4" to 1 3/4" tube shaped blue flowers remain closed at the tip. The 5 lobes of the flower are fused together by a connecting fringe, creating folds between the petals outside; the fringes are hidden by the closed tip. The flowers appear in a cluster at the top of the erect stem and sometimes also in stem clusters at the leaf axils. The opposite leaves are lance shaped, twice as long as wide, with parallel veins and mostly stalkless, usually pointed at the tip. Leaves at the top of the stem below the terminal flower cluster form a whorl. Seeds form within the flower tube in a series of vertical rows. Seeds are very small. The second blue species, G. andrewsii, (predominant in the photos below) has the fringes of the flower lobes longer than the petals and thus are visible at the tip of the closed flower. The plant grows up to three feet high from a rhizomatous root system which can produce multiple stems.

Color varies by age of the blooms and amount of sun. Both are similar in appearance to the white flowered Plain Gentian, G. alba, except for the flower color. The genus Gentiana is named after King Gentius of Illyria who, according to Pliny, discovered that the roots of certain Gentian species have medicinal qualities for treating malaria. The species name clausa is Latin referring to "closed". The name andrewsii refers to Henry C. Andrews, an English botanical artist of the 1800's. This plant will accept partial shade with moderate moisture in open woods, meadows and prairies. Best color in full sun. Only large bees such as the bumblebee can force open the flower tip for pollination.