''Gentiana setigera'' is a species of

gentian ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

known by the common name Mendocino gentian. It is native to southern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

where it grows in wet places in the

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. P ...

. It grows in

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

Description

This is a low perennial herb with stems running along the ground and reaching up to about 40 centimeters in length. Leaves are spoon-shaped near the base and oval-shaped and paired further along the stem. Flowers appear singly or in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s of a few flowers. Each flower is bell-shaped and bright blue with a speckled white center. The four to five lobes of the corolla are diamond-shaped and between them are sinus appendages that end in thready projections. The fruit is a capsule containing winged seeds.

References

External links

Plant of the Week: ''Gentiana setigera''.
United States Forest Service.
''Gentiana setigera''.
In: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Accessed 9 July 2017.

Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. California Native Plant Society.
''Gentiana setigera''.
CalPhotos. setigera Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Klamath Mountains Natural history of the California Coast Ranges {{Gentianales-stub