Home/Species/ Pygmy Gentian

Gentiana prostrata

Haenke

Pygmy Gentian

G5Secure Found in 12 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1332920

Element CodePDGEN06290

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderGentianales

FamilyGentianaceae

GenusGentiana

Other Common Names

Moss Gentian (EN) Prostrate Gentian (EN) Tundra Gentian (EN)

Concept Reference

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.

Taxonomic Comments

This record is for the broad treatment of Gentiana prostrata, including G. nutans (described from Colorado and Utah), as recognized in Pringle's treatment in FNA (2023, vol. 14). Pringle finds, "The character states alleged to distinguish these taxa are not consistently associated in syndromes." Kartesz (1994, 1999) recognized the narrower treatment of G. prostrata, accepting G. nutans as a distinct species. Pringle recognizes infraspecific taxa of Gentiana prostrata, reporting only the typical variety for North America, and points out there is potential for molecular phylogenetic studies to determine the North American plants are a distinct species from the European plants.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Biotics v1

Review Date2019-11-26

Change Date2019-11-26

Edition Date2019-11-26

Edition AuthorsTreher (2019)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Gentiana prostrata is a wide ranging species of high mountains found across Eurasia, western South America, and western North America. There are hundreds of known occurrences and not significant threats, currently.

Range Extent Comments

Gentiana prostrata is a very wide ranging species of high mountains found across Eurasia, western South America, and western North America. In North America, it occurs from Alaska, Yukon and Northwest Territories, south through British Columbia and Alberta to California (White Mountains), Utah, and Colorado.

Occurrences Comments

Based on herbarium and observation data, there are over 500 occurrences (SEINet and iNaturalist 2019).

Threat Impact Comments

Given the species presence in alpine areas, its sensitivity to climate change should be assessed. Given the remote locations where it occurs, it is likely protected from most threat, although recreation could be threat.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Pygmy Gentian is a low annual to short-lived perennial herb with several prostrate to erect stems that are 1-10 cm long. The broadly elliptic, opposite, overlapping leaves sheathe the stem and are 3-5 mm long with pale margins. The light green foliage is glabrous. Solitary flowers are borne at the stem tips. The green or bluish, tubular calyx is 6-14 mm long and has 4 lobes that are each 1/3 the length of the tube. The light blue, tubular corolla is 12-22 mm long and has 4 lobes with conspicuous plaits between the lobes. Corolla lobes spread open during mid-day but are otherwise twisted closed. The narrowly elliptic, stalked capsule is ca. 1 cm long.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Gentiana aquatica is very similar but has white flowers and usually occurs at lower elevations. Gentiana glauca has creeping stems but usually bears more than one flower per stem.

Habitat

This gentian occurs in "moist meadows and seepage sites in the upper subalpine and alpine zones (Douglas et al. 1999)." Pringle in FNA (2023) describes the lowest elevation as 0 meters but even in higher latitudes, no collections have been found that are recorded as being from below 780 meters (GBIF, accessed Dec. 2024).

Terrestrial Habitats

Grassland/herbaceousAlpineTundra

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLAND

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	S4	Yes
Alaska	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	S2	Yes
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Oregon	S2	Yes
Montana	SU	Yes
California	S1	Yes
Utah	S3	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Northwest Territories	SU	Yes
Yukon Territory	S4	Yes
Alberta	S3	Yes

Plant Characteristics

DurationANNUAL, BIENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (12)

Alaska (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Freshwater Bay	Tongass National Forest	44,933
Game Creek	Tongass National Forest	54,469
Rhine	Tongass National Forest	23,010
Taku-Snettisham	Tongass National Forest	664,928

Colorado (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pole Mountain / Finger Mesa	Rio Grande NF	43,863
San Miguel	San Juan NF	64,263

Idaho (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pioneer Mountains	Salmon-Challis National Forest	172,460
Pioneer Mountains	Sawtooth National Forest	119,563

Montana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Proposed Line Creek Prna	Custer National Forest	389

New Mexico (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pecos	Carson National Forest	13,436

Wyoming (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Beartooth Proposed Wilderness	Shoshone National Forest	16,837
South Beartooth Highway	Shoshone National Forest	105,570

References (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.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
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.
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.