Alpine gentian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alpine gentian |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Gentiana
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| Species: |
newberryi
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Gentiana newberryi is a beautiful wild flower. It is also known as the alpine gentian or Newberry's gentian. This plant belongs to the gentian family.
Where Does It Grow?
This special plant grows naturally in the high mountains of California and Oregon. You can find it in the Sierra Nevada, Klamath, and Cascade mountain ranges. It also grows in the eastern part of Nevada.
What Does It Look Like?
Gentiana newberryi is a small plant that lives for many years. It has short stems that often lie on the ground or weave through the grass.
Its leaves are curved and shaped like a spear or a spoon. They are green, but sometimes their edges and tips can be purple.
The flowers can grow alone or in small groups of up to five. Each flower looks like a trumpet. It can be up to 5 or 6 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide at the opening.
The tips of the flower's petals are rounded or slightly pointed. Between each of the five petals, there is a small, very sharp point that twists like a thread. The outside of the flower is mostly white with clear stripes of light to dark purple. The inside might have faint greenish or yellowish stripes and small freckles of a similar color.
After the flower blooms, it forms a fruit called a capsule. This capsule holds seeds that have small wings, helping them to spread.
See also
In Spanish: Gentiana newberryi para niños
