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Frasera caroliniensis

Walt.

Carolina Gentian

G5Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130550
Element CodePDGEN05030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderGentianales
FamilyGentianaceae
GenusFrasera
Synonyms
Swertia caroliniensis(Walt.) Kuntze
Other Common Names
American Columbo (EN) American columbo (EN) Frasère de Caroline (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-03-24
Change Date1984-04-09
Edition Date2025-03-24
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Frasera caroliniensis is a perennial herb in forested habitats in eastern North America from southern Ontario, Canada and western New York and southern Michigan, United States south to northwestern South Carolina and northern Georgia west to eastern Oklahoma, and historic in Louisiana. There are an estimated greater than 600 occurrences which face threats from development, logging, fire suppression and succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Frasera caroliniensis occurs in eastern North America from southern Ontario, Canada and western New York and southern Michigan, United States south to northwestern South Carolina and northern Georgia west to eastern Oklahoma, and historic in Louisiana (FNA 2023, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 1.2 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are over 600 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
In the southeastern United States, habitat loss and fragmentation may be impacting some populations and intensive forest management could eliminate the species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002), with additional threats from development, logging, fire suppression and succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species (NatureServe 2025). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences,¿as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Green gentian is a monocarpic perennial plant that may live as basal leaves up to 30 years or more. The large basal leaves can grow up to 1 1/2 feet and are lance-shaped and wider towards the tip. The stem leaves are in whorls of four and are progressively smaller towards the top. The flowering stem can grow from 3-6 feet tall and is topped by a large inflorescence with many branches containing 50-100 flowers and fruits. The showy flowers have four greenish-yellow petals that are purple-dotted and about 1/2 to 3/4" long. Below the middle on each petal is a large elliptic gland surrounded by a long fringe. The large fruits, almost an inch long, are elliptic and flattened.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Leaves simple, whorled on the stem. Corolla rotate, the small tube much shorter than its lobes or the calyx lobes. Flowers yellow-greenish. Style well developed. Corolla lobes bearing a large fringed gland.

Habitat

Frasera caroliniensis grows in rich forests and deciduous, ± open woods, often ravines and upper slopes of cove forests, over mafic or calcareous rocks, floodplain forests (FNA 2023, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).

Reproduction

Plants die after flowering and fruiting.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS2Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North CarolinaS2Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
MississippiS3Yes
MichiganSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
LouisianaSHYes
IndianaSNRYes
OklahomaS1Yes
South CarolinaS2Yes
PennsylvaniaS1Yes
New YorkS2Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
AlabamaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, Long-lived, DECIDUOUS
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (9)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Ben GapChattahoochee National Forest1,292
Joe GapChattahoochee National Forest5,321
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Illinois (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bay CreekShawnee National Forest120
Burden FallsShawnee National Forest485
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Big Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest1,155
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
References (17)
  1. Bright, J. 1936. In Quest of the Rare Ones. Trillia 10:22- 27.
  2. Card, H.H. 1931. A Revision of the Genus <i>Frasera</i>. Annals of Missouri Botanical Garden 18:245-282.
  3. Fernald, M.L. 1950 Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th ed. American Book Company, New York. 1632 pp.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 14. Magnoliophyta: Gentianaceae to Hydroleaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 505 pp.
  5. Gleason, H.A. 1952. The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 3 volumes. Hafner Press, New York. 1732 pp.
  6. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  7. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  8. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  9. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  10. NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2024. Version: 1.1.1 (released Oct 01, 2024).
  11. Pammel, L.H. 1911. Manual of Poisonous Plants. Torch Press, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
  12. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  13. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  14. Threadgill, P.F, and J.M. Baskin. 1978. <i>Swertia carolinienes </i>or <i>Frasera caroliniesis</i>. Castanea 43:20-22.
  15. Threadgil, P.F., J.M. Baskin, and C.C. Baskin. 1981. The ecological life cycle of <i>Frasera caroliniensis</i>, a long-lived monocarpic perennial. The American Midland Naturalist 105:277-289.
  16. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).
  17. Wood, C.E., Jr., and R.E. Weaver, Jr. 1982. The genera of Gentianaceae in southwestern United States. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 63:441-487.