Plant Image
Flower and bud


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Eustoma exaltatum - catchfly prairie gentian

Synonyms: Arenberia glauca, Chlora exaltatum, Erythraea plumieri, Eustoma silenifolium, Gentiana exaltata, Lisianthus exaltatus
Other Common Names: small bluebell, blue marsh lily, seaside gentian, marsh gentian
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Gentianaceae


   
 
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Flowers
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Leaves
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual or perennial   Similar Species: Eustoma russellianum
General Desc: Annual (often) or a short-lived perennial with 1 to several erect stems. Leaves and stems are bluish-green and can be smooth or covered with a waxy, whitish coating. Showy cup-shaped flowers in white or shades of purple grow on long stalks at stem tips.
Identification notes: Erect, branching stems to over 3 feet; leaves clasping, opposite, bluish-green; large, light purple, pinkish-purple or white 5-petaled flowers with white and darker purple rings or blotches around the throats, protruding stamens and yellow anthers.
Height: To about 3-1/4 feet


Habitat

Habitat Description: Grows in wet, often chalky or saline areas like marshes, moist prairies, along stream beds and rivers. At times found in ditches, roadsides and abandoned fields; uncommon in Arizona.
Plant Communities: Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 1000 - 2500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Light purple, pinkish-purple, white     Shape: Regular in elongated clusters     Tubular: Y     Flowering Period: Jun - Sep
Description: Flowers solitary at the stem tips or may grow in elongated clusters. Each flower has 2 to 3 inch wide blooms with prominent white and deep purple markings in the throat. The 5 petals are fused and taper into a narrow tube at the yellowish flower base.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Bluish-green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Smooth     Leaf Attachment: Basal and opposite     Leaves Clasp: Y
Hairs: No     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Leaves are 3/4 to 4 inches long, about 1/8 inch wide. Spoon-shaped basal leaves have short leafstalks, oblong stem leaves are stalkless and clasp the stem. At times, leaf blades are pressed flat on the stem forming a V-shape moving upward on the stem.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Green   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Fruit is sticky, about 1/2 inch long with an elongated oval shape and produces many seeds.
Seed Notes: The seed is tiny, brown and globe-shaped with many small holes or "pits" on its surface (honeycombed).



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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