Stiff Gentian Gentianella quinquefolia is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm
Stiff Gentian Gentianella quinquefolia is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm

Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)

$5.00
Out of Stock

Stiff Gentian is an interesting plant to have in the landscape. It is typically a biennial, but can sometimes act as an annual. It does do some self-seeding, so hopefully, it will stick around in the landscape. It is a late bloomer with interesting flowers, which is always nice to have in the gardens at that time of year.  So far, information about floral-faunal relationships for Stiff Gentian has not been observed. However, the long tubular shape of the closed corollas suggests that long-tongued bees cross-pollinate the flowers (illinoiswildflower.info).

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

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Stiff Gentian is an interesting plant to have in the landscape. It is typically a biennial, but can sometimes act as an annual. It does do some self-seeding, so hopefully, it will stick around in the landscape. It is a late bloomer with interesting flowers, which is always nice to have in the gardens at that time of year.  So far, information about floral-faunal relationships for Stiff Gentian has not been observed. However, the long tubular shape of the closed corollas suggests that long-tongued bees cross-pollinate the flowers (illinoiswildflower.info).

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Life Cycle: Annual, Biennial 

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Soil Moisture: Medium/wet-Medium/dry

Height: 1-2 feet

Plant Spacing:   

Bloom Time: August-October

Bloom Color: Purple

Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Garden Plant

Host: 1 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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