- Scientific name: Gentiana quinquefolia (L.) Small
Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
Description
Image Credit: Skye van der Laan
Stiff gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia) is an annual herbaceous plant in the gentian family (Gentianaceae). This plant will grow up 80 cm (32 in) tall, with just a single stem or multiple ascending branches. The stem and branches are winged on the angles of the 4-sided stem. Its lower leaves are oblong, while the middle and upper leaves are lanceolate or somewhat heart-shaped clasping the stem. Leaves can range from 0.5-8 cm (0.2 to 3 in) long, and 0.2-3 cm (<0.1-1.2 in) broad with 3 to 7 prominent veins on the underside. The flowers are found in dense clusters of 1 to 7 on short, stalked pedicels at the top of the stem and in the axils of the upper stem leaves. They are 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) tall and have a closed funnel shape. They range in color from pink-purple to bluish-purple to lilac. It will form a two parted seed capsule.
Life cycle and behavior
Stiff gentian is an annual plant in Massachusetts. It flowers from mid-August to mid-October. The seed capsule forms soon after blooming. It is pollinated by insects forcing their way in through the loosely closed petals.
Population status
Image Credit: Skye van der Laan
Stiff gentian is recently listed as a species of greatest conservation need and is maintained on the plant watch list. There are 9 occurrences in the state verified since 1999 found in Berkshire County. Historically, it has also been observed in Franklin County.
Distribution and abundance
Stiff gentian is known from the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario south to Mississippi and Georgia. In New England, it is thought to be possibly extirpated from Maine, critically imperiled in Vermont and Connecticut, imperiled in Massachusetts, not ranked in New Hampshire and is not known to occur in Rhode Island.
Distribution in Massachusetts. 2000-2025. Based on records in the Natural Heritage Database.
Habitat
Stiff gentian typically occurs in areas with at least part sun on high pH soils in wet areas such as rich woods, wet gravelly banks, or in damp fields.
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Threats
Image Credit: Skye van der Laan
Threats to this species are not well understood. They may include loss of habitat by development, mowing at inappropriate times of year (when it is in bloom before seed set), logging, canopy closure, deer and other animal browse, and possibly invasive plant species outcompeting it.
Conservation
There have been very few records of stiff gentian submitted to MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) recently, indicating it may be declining in Massachusetts. It is unknown whether observations just aren’t being submitted or whether the species has suffered an actual decline. Surveying and reporting this species to NHESP is important. The best time to survey for it is when it is in flower from mid to late August through mid-October.
Still gentian is maintained on the plant watch list and does not currently require regulatory review for work within its habitat. The exact ecological needs of stiff gentian are not known. As stiff gentian is under-surveyed, more standard information is needed such as lists of associated species, comments on habitat quality and threats, and assessments of soil conditions and phenology. Research is needed to determine whether this plant can be grown in a nursery or garden setting for purposes of reintroductions. If habitat degradation accelerates losses of current populations, this strategy could prove useful to long-term conservation of this species.
References
Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray’s Manual of Botany, Eighth (Centennial) Edition—Illustrated. American Book Company, New York.
Gleason, Henry A., and Arthur Cronquist. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, Second Edition. Bronx, NY: The New York Botanical Garden, 1991.
Haines, A. 2011. Flora Novae Angliae – a Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Higher Vascular Plants of New England. New England Wildflower Society, Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, CT.
Minnesota Wildflowers website: https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/stiff-gentian Accessed 4/1/2025.
Native Plant Trust. 2014. NORM Phenology Information.
Contact
| Date published: | April 29, 2025 |
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