Gentiana catesbyi

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:GENTIANACEAE
Species:Gentiana catesbyi Walter
Common Name:Coastal Plain Gentian; Elliott's Gentian
Habitat:Mesic woods around creek banks, steep moist ravines, and around springs
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Coastal Plain Gentian is a native herbaceous perennial in the Gentian family (Gentianaceae). It can be found at scattered locations throughout the state, but is most common in the Coastal Plain. Coastal Plain Gentian occurs on creek banks, in steep moist ravines, and around springs. It is a perennial with a fibrous root system. The roots are thick and cord like. Stems are from 6-12 inches in length, and are often declining. The stems are unbranched, green in color, and pubescent. Leaves are opposite, sessile or short petiolate, elliptic to lanceolate in outline, with entire margins. The leaves are usually dark green in color and glabrous. Flowers are sessile in compact terminal cymes of 1-6 flowers. The calyx is green in color, glabrous, with lobes longer than the tube. The corolla is funnelform and is dark to light blue in color. Some flowers are almost white. The corolla lobes part only slightly at the apex, and the flowers never seem to “open”. The fruit is a capsule. Coastal Plain Gentian is listed as a S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and Globally as a G5 species (demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery). It is sometimes available from native plant nurseries. It prefers a constantly moist, organic-rich soil and full shade.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:Named after English naturalist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) who wrote the first account of the biota of North America entitled: Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1729-1747). Walter originally published the epithet as "catesbaei" but the Botanical Code provides an avenue to correct the spelling that more closely matches the Latinized form of the honoree's name following proper conjugation rules. Thus the epithet has been corrected to "catesbyi" (Weakley and Poindexter 2020).--B.R. Keener
Status:Native, OBL (NWI), S1 (State Rank), G5 (Global Rank)
References:Weakley, A.S., and D.B. Poindexter. 2020. Previous and variable alterations of Mark Catesby’s name in honorific epithets are not sanctioned in the Code and are here (re)corrected, standardized, and simplified in Weakley, A.S., et al. 2020. Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern United States. VI. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 14: 199-239.
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyGENTIANACEAE - Gentian family
Genus Gentiana
Species Gentiana catesbyi Walter - Coastal Plain Gentian; Elliott's Gentian

Citation

Citation Gentiana catesbyi Walter, Fl. Carol. 109. 1788. --as "catesbaei"
Basionym: **
Type: USA: SOUTH CAROLINA: Without data, Fraser/Walter 50-A (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by Fernald, Rhodora 49: pl. 1078. 1947; D.B. Ward, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 414. 2007.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Gentiana catesbaei var. nummulariifolia Gentiana catesbaei Walter, var. nummulariifolia Fernald, Rhodora 49: 175. 1947. VIRGINIA: Greensville Co.: 1 mi. NW of Dahlia, 12 Oct 1938, Fernald & Long 9618 (holotype: GH
Gentiana elliottii var. parvifolia Gentiana elliottii Chapman, var. parvifolia Chapman, Fl. South. U.S. 356. 1860. GEORGIA: Without data, Chapman s.n. (lectotype: US). Lectotypified by Pringle, Brittonia 19: 10. 1967.
Gentiana parvifolia Gentiana parvifolia (Chapman) Britton, Man. Fl. N. States, ed. 2. 733. 1905, non Gilg 1896.Gentiana elliottii Chapman, var. parvifolia Chapman 1860. 
Pneumonanthe catesbaei Pneumonanthe catesbaei (Walter) F. W. Schmidt, Arch. Bot. (Leipzig) 1: 10. 1796.Gentiana catesbaei Walter 1788. 
Pneumonanthe parvifolia Pneumonanthe parvifolia (Chapman) Greene, Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 71. 1904.Gentiana elliottii Chapman, var. parvifolia Chapman 1860. 
Xolemia trachiloma var. major Xolemia trachiloma Rafinesque, var. major Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 3: 28. 1837 ("1836"). NORTH CAROLINA:
Dasystephana latifolia    
Dasystephana parvifolia Dasystephana parvifolika (Chapman) Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 930, 1336. 1903.Gentiana elliottii Chapman, var. parvifolia Chapman 1860. 
Gentiana elliottii Gentiana elliottii Chapman, Fl. South. U.S. 356. 1860, non Gentiana elliotea Rafinesque 1832. SOUTH CAROLINA:

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Butler, Chilton, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Henry, Houston, Lee, Limestone, Marshall, Pike, St. Clair, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1893 - 1995

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
AUA_ACC_46030 Baldwin 28 May 1987 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
3266		 AUA
GENTIANA CATESBAEI WALT.
TROY000006077 Butler 22 Feb 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17269		 TROY
Gentiana catesbaei Walter
UNA00050939 Chilton 17 Oct 1995 Birk, Michelle
584		 UNA
Gentiana catesbaei Walt.
TROY000006078 Coffee 14 Nov 1978 Kral, Robert
63128		 TROY
Gentiana catesbaei Walter
UNA00065922 Coffee 14 Nov 1978 Kral, Robert
63128		 UNA
Gentiana catesbaei Walt.
TROY000006079 Coffee 08 Dec 1999 Martin, Brian H.
385		 TROY
Gentiana catesbaei Walter
TROY000006080 Coffee 03 Nov 2000 Martin, Brian H.
1008		 TROY
Gentiana catesbaei Walter
UWAL0005992 Conecuh 16 Nov 1978 Kral, Robert
63177		 UWAL
Gentiana catesbaei Walt.
TROY000006082 Conecuh 16 Nov 1978 Kral, Robert
63177		 TROY
Gentiana catesbaei Walter
AUA_ACC_43445 Conecuh 4 Nov 1984 DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R.
200		 AUA
GENTIANA CATESBAEI WALT.
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