Gentianella campestris

Annual or biennial of the Gentianaceae family, the field gentian is widespread in the poor meadows, lawns, and high-altitude pastures of central and northern Europe, from the Scandinavian plains to the alpine pastures of the Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians, where it rises up to 2,800 meters.

It forms small upright and branched clumps, from 5 to 30 cm in height depending on altitude and conditions. The stems are often tinged with reddish-brown, giving it a distinctive appearance even when not in bloom. The leaves, opposite, are oval to lanceolate, of a medium green slightly glossy.

The flowers, with four spreading lobes — a distinguishing feature compared to the five-lobed gentians — are a true lilac-purple, with a throat adorned with whitish fringes typical of the genus. They are borne in branched and generously flowered cymes.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from July to October depending on altitude, making this species one of the last touches of color in the alpine lawns at the onset of autumn.

Cultivating it is a challenge. Like many Gentianaceae, it would maintain close relationships with soil mycorrhizal fungi, which would explain the frequent failures of sowing in sterile substrate. The best chances of success are through sowing in the fall, directly in place, on already vegetated and undisturbed soil, poor, well-drained and preferably slightly calcareous. Some practitioners mix the seeds with a little soil taken from the original site. Annual or biennial, it can only sustain itself by freely reseeding: seeds must be allowed to mature on the plant and any soil work in its vicinity should be avoided.