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giant rose-gentian, marsh rose-gentian, perennial rose-gentian

Elliott's or narrow-leaf or short-leaf sabatia, shortleaf rose gentian

Habit Herbs perennial; stolons absent or weakly developed. Herbs annual.
Stems

1–several, clustered, terete or distally 4-ridged but not angled or winged, 0.8–6 dm, branching all or mostly alternate.

single, terete, 1.5–7 dm, branching all or mostly alternate.

Leaves

basal absent at flowering time, internodes between cauline leaves mostly 1.25+ times as long as subtending leaves;

blade elliptic- or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–7 cm × 4–12(–16) mm.

all cauline or basal occasionally persistent at flowering time;

blade linear to oblong-lanceolate, 0.5–3 cm × 1–5(–7) mm.

Inflorescences

open, few-flowered monochasia or solitary flowers at ends of branches;

pedicels 10–90(–110) mm.

open cymes or solitary flowers at ends of branches;

pedicels (10–)20–40(–50) mm.

Flowers

7–12(–14)-merous;

calyx tube obconic to campanulate, 1.5–4 mm, mid- and commissural veins about equally prominent, 4-ridged;

lobes linear to oblong-lanceolate or occasionally narrowly spatulate or ± foliaceous, 4–20 mm;

corolla purplish pink or rarely white, eye yellow, projections of eye into corolla lobes oblong, sometimes shallowly 3-lobed, usually with a red border, tube (3–)4–8 mm, lobes oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate-obovate, (10–)12–25 × 3–11 mm, apex rounded to subacute;

anthers coiling circinately.

5-merous;

calyx tube obconic, 1–3 mm, mid- and commissural veins about equally prominent, not or low-ridged, lobes filiform, 3–8 mm;

corolla white, eye greenish yellow, projections of eye into corolla lobes without a contrasting border, tube 1–3 mm, lobes oblanceolate, 6–18 × 2–7 mm, apex obtuse to acute;

anthers coiling circinately.

2n

 = 34 + 8B.

 = 32.

Sabatia dodecandra

Sabatia brevifolia

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Saltwater, brackish, or rarely freshwater marshes. Open pine woods, savannas, bogs.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) 0–70 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; FL; GA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

There are historical records of Sabatia dodecandra from Connecticut and New York. Reports from west of the range given here have been based on a concept of the species that included S. foliosa.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Reports of Sabatia brevifolia from Louisiana were based on a specimen of questionable provenance and are considered probably erroneous by students of that state’s flora.

In some older literature, the name Sabatia difformis was misapplied to S. brevifolia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Gentianaceae > Sabatia Gentianaceae > Sabatia
Sibling taxa
S. angularis, S. arenicola, S. arkansana, S. brachiata, S. brevifolia, S. calycina, S. campanulata, S. campestris, S. capitata, S. decandra, S. difformis, S. foliosa, S. formosa, S. gentianoides, S. grandiflora, S. kennedyana, S. macrophylla, S. quadrangula, S. stellaris
S. angularis, S. arenicola, S. arkansana, S. brachiata, S. calycina, S. campanulata, S. campestris, S. capitata, S. decandra, S. difformis, S. dodecandra, S. foliosa, S. formosa, S. gentianoides, S. grandiflora, S. kennedyana, S. macrophylla, S. quadrangula, S. stellaris
Synonyms Chironia dodecandra, S. chloroides S. elliottii
Name authority (Linnaeus) Britton: Sterns & Poggenburg, Prelim. Cat., 36. (1888) — (as Sabbatia) Rafinesque: Atlantic J. 1: 147. (1832) — (as Sabbatia)
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