Plant Database

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Loughmiller, Campbell and Lynn

Eustoma exaltatum

Eustoma exaltatum (L.) Salisb. ex G. Don

Catchfly Prairie Gentian, Bluebell Gentian, Western Blue Gentian, Blue Marsh Lily, Small Bluebell, Catchfly Gentian, Seaside Gentian

Gentianaceae (Gentian Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: EUEX5

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Eustoma means "open mouth," referring to the large throat of the flower. It prefers damp areas and seems to reach peak condition on moist prairies, where it sometimes grows in profusion. The large, bell-shaped flowers, 2-3 inches across, have 5-7 bluish-purple petals, less than 1 inch long, which are constricted into a small tube at the base and have prominent purple markings in the throat. The plants are 1-3 feet high with smooth, erect stems and branches. The leaves are long and oval with pointed tips, 1-2 1/2 inches long.

Although it is often referred to as the Seaside Gentian, this plant is not restricted to coastal habitats; it also grows in the Great Plains from Montana to New Mexico. The interior subspecies, E. exaltum ssp. russellianum, is called the Showy Prairie Gentian. The genus name, from the Greek eu ("good") and stoma ("mouth"), refers to the wide opening of the corolla tube.

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