by Kirsten Swinski,
Native Plants Class 2002
Common names: Green gentian, elkweed, deers ears, swertia, monument
plant
Family: Gentiananceae
Synonymy: Frasera angustifolia (Rydb.) Rydb., Frasera
macrophylla Greene, Frasera speciosa Dougl. ex Griseb.,
Frasera speciosa Dougl. ex Griseb. var. angustifolia
Rydb., Frasera speciosa Dougl. ex Griseb. var. stenosepala
Rydb., Frasera stenosepala (Rydb.) Rydb., Swertia radiata
(Kellogg) Kuntze var. macrophylla (Greene) St.John, Tesseranthium
angustifolium (Rydb.) Rydb., Tesseranthium macrophyllum (Greene)
Rydb., Tesseranthium radiatum Kellogg (6).
Etymology: "Swertia" = Swert, Dutch botanist; "radius"
= spoke (6)
Identification
Growth form: Green gentian is a short-lived perennial herb, usually
found in vegetative basal rosette form (6).
Roots: Root large and fleshy taproot (5).
Stems: Solitary flower-bearing stem appears after 4-7 years of
growth. Grows up to 6 ft. tall. Most of the time, each individual consists
of only one to several basal rosettes (6).
Leaves: Leaves whorled in groups of 4 or 6, broadly lanceolate,
12" at the base of flowering stalk and becoming increasingly small
towards the top, soft, and with distinct veins (3,4).
Inflorescence/flowers: Inflorescence racemose. Flowers star-shaped,
4 greenish-white petals speckled with blue or purple dots, 2 fringed
glands on each lobe (6).
Fruit: Fruit is a many-seeded capsule 16-18mm long. Seeds 3mm
long, flat and brown with narrow wings (5).
Similar species: Other species of Swertia occuring in Arizona
include Swertia perennis (Star swertia) and Swertia utahensis
(Utah swertia). S. utahensis can be distinguished from S.
radiata by yellowish flowers, dotted with purple. The 5-petaled
deep purple flowers and smaller leaves of S. perennnis make
it very easy to identify (3).
Ecology
Life history: Green gentian is a perennial herb (3).
Native/introduced: Native (6).
Photosynthetic pathway:
Phenology: Flowers from May to August (3).
Distribution: 5,000-10,000 ft. From South Dakota to Washington,
south to New Mexico, California, and northern Mexico (5).
Uses
Ethnobotanical Uses: Poultice of powdered root is applied externally
to reduce fever. In small doses the root is a good laxative, though
large doses may be fatal. Lard and ground roots are applied to the head
for killing lice (1).
References
1. Arnberger,
Leslie P. 1982. Flowers of the Southwestern Mountains. Tucson, AZ: Southwest
Parks & Monuments Association.
2. Beattie, A.J., Breedlove, D.E., and P.R. Ehrlich. 1973. The ecology
of the pollinators and predators of Frasera speciosa. Ecology 54, No
1: 81-91.
3. Epple, A.O. 1995. A Field Guide to Plants of Arizona. Guilford, CT:
The Globe Pequot Press.
4. Hogan, Phyllis and Kristin Huisinga. 1999. An Annotated Catolog of
the Native and Naturalized Flora of Arizona. Flagstaff, AZ: Arizona
Ethnobotanical Research Association.
5. McDougall, W.B. 1973. Seed Plants of Northern Arizona. Flagstaff,
AZ: Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art, Inc.
6. USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
