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Gentianopsis crinita (Froel.) Ma
Fringed Gentian
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: Threatened
Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: High Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 7
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Wet meadows and grassy roadsides over circumneutral soils
Biennial herb producing only a small rosette of leaves during its first year; in the second year, plants send up an erect, branched, hairless stem, 4 - 35 inches (10 - 90 cm) tall. Leaves are up to 2 inches (5 cm) long and 0.7 inch (1.7 cm) wide, opposite, entire, oval to lance-shaped, somewhat succulent, lacking stalks, and clasping the stem. Flowers are held erect, up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) long, solitary on leafless stalks 0.8 - 4.7 inches (2 - 12 cm) long, with 4 deep blue-purple, iridescent, fringed petals that are white-and-purple striped on the inside; there are four sepals, a white two-parted style, and four yellow-orange stamens. Fruit is a capsule 1.2 - 1.6 inches (3 - 4 cm) long, tapering at both ends, and dividing into two parts to disperse numerous, tiny seeds.
No other wildflowers in north Georgia have large, deep blue flowers with 4 spreading, fringed petals.
None in Georgia.
Fringed Gentian requires circumneutral soils in early successional habitats with few woody or aggressive competitors. In Georgia, it occurs in damp, sunny meadows and roadsides underlain by magnesium-rich, ultramafic rocks such as serpentine or soapstone.
Fringed Gentian is a biennial. It spends the first year as a leaf rosette, then, in the second year, it bolts, producing a leafy, branched stem with a single flower at the tip of each branch. The flowers, which must be cross-pollinated in order to set seed, unfurl their tightly wrapped petals only on sunny days and close them on cloudy days and at night. They are pollinated primarily by large-bodied bumblebees, but also by beetles and homopterans, that are attracted by nectar produced inside at the base of the flower. Its seeds are dispersed by the wind. The leaves are bitter and of little interest to mammalian herbivores. Since the plants reproduce only by seed, a population will not persist at a site unless the seeds find suitable conditions for germination. Fringed Gentian appears to benefit from the presence of mycorrhizae, which seem to play a role in inducing and breaking winter dormancy and suppressing soil pathogens that cause root disease.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (late September–early November). Flowers open only on sunny days.
Georgia, north to Quebec and west to Alberta. It is critically imperiled in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, and rare in a number of other states.
Invasion of woody shrubs and aggressive herbs. Poorly timed roadside mowing and herbicide application. Road widening, development, and other soil and ground cover disturbances.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Transportation & service corridors | Residential & commercial development |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Fringed Gentian is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in the state. It is listed as Threatened by the State of Georgia. Seven populations are known, all in the vicinity of Brasstown Bald. One population occurs on National Forest land, the rest on private land or roadside rights-of-way.
Georgia's populations are the southernmost for this species, which extends northward into Canada; plants occurring at the periphery of a species’ range are of special conservation importance. Peripheral populations are usually smaller and less genetically diverse within the population, but genetically divergent from centrally located populations. These genetic differences may confer special survival traits that plants in other portions of the species’ range lack, such as the ability to survive changes in the climate or the arrival of a new pathogen. Peripheral populations may be in the process of evolving into a new species. They are especially deserving of conservation action.
Control invasion of woody species in Fringed Gentian habitat by hand-clearing or burning. Mow only January–May. Avoid use of herbicides in highway and powerline rights-of-way. Research propagation methods.
Bouille, M. and J. Bousquet. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of the Gentianopsis crinita complex (Gentianaceae) based on nrDNA ITS sequences. XVI International Botanical Congress Abstract 4070. http://www1.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/ibc99/ibc/abstracts/listen/abstracts/4070.html
Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Costelloe, B.H. 1988. Pollination ecology of Gentiana andrewsii. The Ohio Journal of Science 88(4): 132-138. https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pdfdocs/bottlegentianpollination.pdfAbstract at https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/23269
GADNR. 2020. Element occurrence records for Gentianopsis crinita. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Godfrey, R.K. and J.W. Wooten. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States, Vol. 2, dicotyledons. University of Georgia Press, Athens.
Hilty, J. 2019. Gentianopsis crinita species account. Illinois Wildflowers. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/fr_gentian.html
Lerner, J.M. 1997. Mycorrhizal interactions of selected species of endangered New England flora. M.S. thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
NatureServe. 2019. Gentianopsis crinita comprehensive report. NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Gentianopsis+crinita
Patrick, T.S. 1987. "...As if that sky let fall..." Tipularia, Journal of the Georgia Botanical Society 2(1):18-19.
Patrick, T.S., J.R. Allison, and G.A. Krakow. 1995. Protected plants of Georgia. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Social Circle.
Pringle, J.S. 2004. Notes on the distribution and nomenclature of North American Gentianopsis (Gentianaceae). Sida 21(1): 525-530. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41968290?seq=1
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Linda G. Chafin
L. Chafin, Feb. 2008: original account.
K. Owers, Jan. 2010: added pictures.
G. Krakow, Apr. 2015: deleted dead link.
L. Chafin, Feb 2020: updated original account.
