Gentiana uchiyamae

[Todd Boland]

I got the seeds to this one from some European BG whose name I can't recall.  Took three years to bloom but finally I got flowers last September.  It is obviously related to the bottle gentians of North America.  Anyone able to confirm the ID?  Not much info on the internet.

[Lori S.]

You probably already have this, but if not...
http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=210000647

[McDonough]

Beautiful intense blue... I like it.  How tall does it grow?

[Todd Boland]

Yes Lori, Ive seen this but it's always nice to see an actual picture.  I suspect it may be the real thing.  The next closest is G. triflora (pictured).  Mine indeed has 3 flowers per stem.  If that is definitive, then my other is probably the real McCoy.

Mark, it grows about 1.5-2 feet.

[Lori S.]

Yes Lori, Ive seen this but it's always nice to see an actual picture. 

Yes, of course.  I hope someone who is growing it can show some photos here... ?

I found this photo, from Chanticleer - a bit distant and unclear (scanned from a slide) though...
http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/photography/photograph_collection/photograph_collection_results.php?image=&date=&photographer=&personinshotnames=&country=&usstate=&city=&location=&garden=&building=&event=&keywords=&othernotes=&lecturetext=&allplantnames=&allcommonnames=&allfamily=&allplantnameserialnumbers=112037

[Todd Boland]

It looks pretty much like mine so perhaps I have the real thing. Unlike typical bottle gentians, G. uchiyamae does open on sunny days which makes it a little more attractive.

[vem]

Just saw the the discussion on Gentiana uchiyamai. I have grown this species  raised from seed collected wild by Helsinki University Expedition 1994 in Mt. Changbai in NW China. I assume the plants growing in western countries originate from these HU:s wild collectings. I myself have distributed seed of this species, too, at ORGS and NARGS Seedex e.g.

Gentiana uchiyamai has been guite easy plant to me, oldest being 14 years old now. It grows about 50 cm high and has quite lax stems leaning a bit - but still having the bottle flowers beautifully seen. Being a bog plant in nature, on Mt. Changbai at least, it wants acid ground as growing well with Rhododendrons and alike.

Some pictures of G. uchiyamai in my garden.

Vesa Muurinen, Pyaeranta, Finland

[McDonough]

Hello Vesa, welcome to the NARGS Forum.  Your splendid photos of Gentiana uchiyamae confirm the incredible true blue color of the flowers, such a beautiful gentian species.  And it is good to learn that the species seems easy to cultivate.

You might want to browse through another topic on Bottle Gentians on the forum:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=418.0

Looking forward to seeing what other plants your are growing in Finland

[RickR]

Great to have you here, Vesa!

Another acid loving/or acid tolerant gentian.  Very nice. 
(The first thing that popped into my mind as I saw you beautiful photos.) 

[Todd Boland]

Vesa, does your uchiyamae flowers open partways on sunny days like mine?  I expect mine may have come from that 1994 expedition....I think my seeds came from Iceland and I do recall the seed listing mentioning Mount Changbai.  Mine are indeed growing in acid peat next to rhododendrons.