Gentiana acaulis
Stemless gentian
Common names: Trumpet gentian
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Pot size
- from 5 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- May–Jun
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
The stemless gentian, botanically Gentiana acaulis, is a cushion-forming perennial from the mountains of Europe, such as the Alps and Pyrenees. Flat, evergreen rosettes of glossy, pointed leaves produce large, upright, funnel-shaped flowers in deep gentian blue in May and June. The flowers appear to sit directly on the foliage, which gives the plant its name. The entire plant reaches only about 5 to 10 cm in height. In the garden, it suits rock gardens, trough gardens, and the edges of beds with humus-rich, fresh soil. It can be temperamental: it flowers only when light, water, and soil are right, but over the years it forms a dense mat. Wild plants are protected by nature conservation laws, so they must never be dug up or picked. Plants and seeds are available from nurseries.
Care instructions
The stemless gentian prefers a bright, cool position: morning sun and afternoon partial shade are ideal, while intense heat and deep shade are unsuitable. Plant it in spring or September in humus-rich, free-draining soil, set the rosettes no deeper than they were before, and allow them room to spread. Keep the soil evenly moist, water carefully during dry spells, and never let water stand. No fertilizer is needed. If it fails to flower, the cause is usually too much shade, overly rich soil, drought stress, or frequent transplanting. Give it time and a place where it can grow undisturbed for several years.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingJan, Oct–Dec
FloweringMay–Jun
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 2 °C, ideally 8 °C
- Days to sprout
- 30 to 120 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, loamy, lime-avoiding
The stemless gentian likes humus-rich, stony-loamy soil that is free-draining and yet stays evenly fresh. It feels most at home in slightly acidic soil; in the wild it grows on low-lime rock, and it avoids chalky soil. It does not tolerate waterlogging, and in dry, hot sand it also perishes. Mix some leaf compost, coarse sand and grit into garden soil, and the roots get air and moisture at the same time.
Feeding
Light feeder
The stemless gentian needs no fertiliser. In nutrient-rich soil it forms more leaves than flowers, and it is precisely the flowering that then often fails to appear. In a container, swap the top layer of soil for fresh, humus-rich and sandy soil every few years in spring.
Overwintering
As a mountain plant, the stemless gentian is fully hardy and stays green with its glossy rosettes in winter too. It tolerates frost and snow, but not wet soil. A thin layer of grit around the rosettes keeps the root collar dry. In a container, stand the pot in a cool, rain-protected place outdoors and water in winter only when the soil is completely dry.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
If you are patient, raise the gentian from seed: it is a cold-stratification seed and needs a cold stimulus for the seeds to germinate. Sow from October to January in a tray of sandy seed compost, sift the seeds over only thinly, stand the tray outdoors in a sheltered spot and let frost and snow do the work. Germination comes in spring, often irregularly over several months, and a few years pass before the first flowering. Division is quicker: straight after flowering or in September, carefully divide a large cushion. Buy seed and plants from a nursery, never from the wild.
For your garden
Grow Stemless gentian yourself
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