At the risk of overwhelming readers of this blog with excessive exposure to the gentians, herein is the fifth post on them in the last month or so. Actually, there should be few if any objections, since gentians are always quite interesting and unceasingly attractive. One of the rarities of the Gentian Family is Prairie Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta), a native perennial of open or semi-open dry habitats. It is also called Downy Gentian because of the minute, almost invisible white hairs on the stem and on the central vein of the leaf. This vigorous plant is sometimes able to survive hard frosts despite the delicate appearance of the flower. It has been proposed that Prairie Gentian entered Ohio during a post-glacial xerothermic period about four thousand years ago when midwestern prairie plants that were adapted to warm weather and dry conditions migrated eastward. It has always been very rare in Ohio. It was first discovered near Dayton in 1840. The second known Ohio specimen was collected in Erie County in 1898. It was collected in Lucas County in 1927 and Seneca County in 1948. None of these populations have survived. A Wood County site discovered in 1970 along a railroad track may no longer exist. The only currently known Ohio populations of this state endangered species are in Lucas and Adams counties, the two most botanically diverse counties in the state. The one very small population in Adams County was discovered in 2004 by Larry Henry, co-founder and retired co-director of the Arc Of Appalachia. This population does not emerge every year. The exquisite flowers are one inch wide at the top and two inches long. It blooms in some years during the last week of September but not until the first week of October in others. Bumblebees seek out the nectar of the flowers and cross-pollinate them. Few Ohio wildflowers are so rare and so beautiful. Posted by Dave Kuehner
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 12:00:00 +0000
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