Our smallest gentian

Gentiana tenella, August 5, 2022

Same

Common & scientific name
Lapland gentian, Gentiana tenella

Family
Gentian, Gentianaceae

Location
Wet Gulch, 12,300’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This one is easy to miss! Standing just several inches high, usually a single, white/blue/soft purple, 4-petaled flower with fringed scales at its base sits atop a leafless stem. Look for it along tarn edges and in wet areas. Lapland gentian makes for a great, late-summer treasure hunt!