Gentiana nivalis

Submitted by Hoy on

On sunny days you can come upon this very blue but small flower. They only open when the temperature is above 10C and the sun shines.

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Comments

Submitted by Boland on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 05:03

What an intense blue!  I understand this one is difficult in cultivation.

Submitted by Tim Ingram on Sat, 05/07/2011 - 10:21

That takes me back to when I was a student on a field trip to Iceland. We camped round Lake Myvatn and Gentiana nivalis grew in the short turf, along with the Frog Orchid, Dryas octopetala and Loiseluria (which I was really excited to see). The Gentian is an exquisite little thing. At the moment I have a super little annual species from the Himalayas, G. syringea, flowering. This has nearly stemless, quite large starry flowers - I shall get some photos of it. It came from Aberconwy Nursery in North Wales, one of the finest alpine nurseries in the UK, which continually has new and interesting plants. The genus is full of fabulous plants and a friend has G. lutea just coming up to flower, quite a contrast to G. nivalis.

Submitted by Tim Ingram on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 05:36

A couple of phots of Gentiana syringea taken yesterday. I hope it sets seed and self-sows. For all those who are put off by annuals this could change your mind!

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Submitted by Mark McD on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 17:52

Wow, that's a fine looking annual; from the look of it, hard to believe it is an annual, the foliage rosettes certainly look as if they would be perennial.

Submitted by Hoy on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 00:15

Tim wrote:

A couple of phots of Gentiana syringea taken yesterday. I hope it sets seed and self-sows. For all those who are put off by annuals this could change your mind!

Is it a winter-annual or a summer-annual? All that leaves so early in the season suggests it is a winter-annual.

Submitted by Tim Ingram on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 01:18

Yes it does have the look of a perennial and I imagine must germinate in the autumn and make strong overwintering plants. Aberconwy have a very good growing regime (with capillary watering on sand beds) and so probably grow the plants as fast and well as possible (and the plant was nearly as big when I bought it!). I am told there are other annual species in China (specifically Yunnan - but presumably quite widespread in the region) and if they resemble this one they could be great to grow in the garden.
The little gentian relative, Centaurium scillioides, has self-sown on the bed so I have high hopes this one will too.