Found on dry, chalk grasslands and sand dunes, Autumn gentian is a late-flowering biennial - the leaves grow in the first year, and the flowering stem grows in the second, its mauve blooms appearing from July to October. It can sometimes be found growing in large groups.
How to identify
Autumn gentian has mauve five- or four-petalled flowers that branch off from the main, reddish stem on short stalks. The flowers look like tubes that have been flattened at the top to make a star; they have a protruding inner ring of 'ribbons' surrounding their central parts. Narrow, pointed leaves appear in opposite pairs on the stem and have a reddish tinge.
Distribution
Scattered distribution across the UK; most common in Southern England.
Did you know?
A subspecies of Autumn gentian which has white flowers (Gentianella amarella septentrionalis) is classified as near threatened under the vascular plant red data list for Great Britain.
