Gentiana kochiana

Perennial of the Gentianaceae family, Gentiana kochiana is an entity whose taxonomic status remains debated: some botanists maintain it as a distinct species, others treat it as synonymous with Gentiana acaulis. It is found in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the mountainous massifs of Central Europe, between 1,200 and 2,800 meters of altitude, in alpine and subalpine meadows on acidic or siliceous substrates, granite or schist, where Gentiana acaulis sensu stricto rather occupies calcareous terrains.

It forms dense, covering mats by stolons, gradually colonizing the short grass meadows. The leaves are oval, thick, shiny, bright green, arranged in rosettes applied to the ground.

The flower constitutes the most immediately distinctive feature compared to Gentiana acaulis: where the latter presents a deep and elongated trumpet with slightly spread lobes, kochiana opens into a more flared, almost star-shaped cup, with well-spread and distinctly pointed lobes. The color is an intense blue tending towards blue-violet, with the dark spots and greenish bands characteristic of the group inside the tube.

In its natural environment, its flowering extends from May to July. In cultivation, it blooms in April-May and tolerates slightly acidic, well-drained, and cool soils, in full light.