Meadow Bottle Gentian (PA Ecotype)

Gentiana clausa

Origin: Eastern North America

Improvement status: Wild

Seeds per packet: ~5,000

Germination tested 3/2020: 1% (0% hard seed, 16% dormant seed)

Life cycle: Perennial

Also known as "Closed Gentian," because its flowers barely open or don't open at all, the flowers of this beautiful native perennial get pollinated by insects that force their way in. Gentians are named after King Gentius of Illyria who is credited with discovering medicinal properties of the bitter root. It's considered a tonic and an appetite stimulant. Cherokee people used it as a tonic, cathartic and laxative. Grows to two feet high. Enjoys wet to medium soil, and full to partial sun. Flowers between August and October. A woodland plant, it prefers rich damp soil.

Our seed was produced by our friends at Ernst Conservation Seeds in Meadville, PA.

GROWING TIPS: Cold-moist stratify for 90 days or direct seed outdoors in the fall.