Plant: annual herb; 5-50 cm tall. STEMS rectangular, branched

Leaves: basal leaves oblanceolate, petiolate, soon withering; cauline leaves ovate, somewhat clasping, 3-5 cm long gradually reduced above

INFLORESCENCE: compound umbellate cymes

Flowers: 4-parted, calyx 2-3 mm long, the lobes 1.5-2 mm long, the tube 0.5-1 mm long; corolla white or pale lavender, tubular, 8-11 mm long, the lobes ca. equaling the tube, the coronal hairs absent; stamens slightly exserted; pistil sessile or short stipitate, cylindric or fusiform

Fruit: a capsule usually slightly exceeding the marcescent corolla. SEEDS smooth to papillose, globose to slightly flattened

Misc: Moist areas along streams or ponds and in pine-oak forests, abundant in burned areas; 1600-2450 m (5200-8000 ft); Aug-Oct

REFERENCES: Mason, Charles T. 1998 Gentianaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. 30(2): 84.

Duration: Annual

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Annual with branched rectangular stems 5-50 cm tall.

Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate, petiolate, soon withering, cauline leaves ovate, generally clasping, 3-5 cm long, gradually reduced above.

Flowers: Four parted, in compound umbellate cymes emerging from the axils, calyx 2-3 mm long, lobes 1.5-2 mm long, the white to pale lavender funnelform tube about one third the corolla length with no coronal hairs, stamens exserted, the pistil sessile or short stipitate, cylindric to fusiform.

Fruits: A capsule slightly longer than the corolla.

Ecology: Found in moist soil along streams or ponds from 5,000-8,000 ft (1524-2438 m); flowers April-October.

Notes: This species often grows in marshy flats along creeks with many individual stems in one area, said to be abundant in burned areas.

Ethnobotany: Unknown

Etymology: Gentianella means little Gentian, reflecting its having been split off from the genus, while microcalyx means little calyx.

Synonyms: Gentiana microcalyx

Editor: SBuckley, 2010