Stiff Gentian is a native biennial wildflower in the gentian family found in roadsides, wet fields, bogs and wet woods in the mountains of NC and the eastern USA. The plant grows 1/2 to 2 feet tall and is tolerant of various conditions. It reproduces by seeds. There are 2 variations- one found in the east and the other found west of Ohio. It usually grows vegetatively the first year and blooms the second year although it sometimes acts as an annual. It prefers full sun to light shade in moist conditions and somewhat barren clay or rocky soil. The plant prefers cool weather summers and does better in mountainous areas. The many flowers appear in late summer to fall in upright clusters of lavender blooms. This plant doesn't transplant well. The NC Native Plant Society does not recommend this plant for home landscapes. Other sites state it will do well in a wildflower setting if given the right conditions. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Cordate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The lance to somewhat heart-shaped leaves are 1/2 to 2 inches long and half as wide and become smaller as they ascend the stem. They are stalkless (sessile) or slightly clasping with smooth hairless surfaces and sharply pointed tips. Color is yellow-green to green to a slight purple tint. Each leaf has 3-7 prominent parallel veins. Each pair of opposite leaves are rotated 90 degrees off from the pair below.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Umbel
Flower shape
Funnel; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Violet to white, funnel-shaped flowers in multiple tight clusters that are held stiffly upright. Produces dozens of tubular, .5-1 in. flowers with five triangular bristly-tipped lobes from August through October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Capsule divides into 2 parts to release the numerous tiny seeds. These seeds are distributed by wind and water.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The stems are light green to reddish-purple, 4-angular, and slightly winged.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada to Eastern U.S.A.
Distribution
USA: AR , CT , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: ON
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Uses (ethnobotany)
Used in herbal medicine and to make an alcoholic drink