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

pinewoods rose-gentian, spider 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 or slightly 4-ridged but not angled or winged, 1.5–5(–6.5) dm, branching opposite or 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.

cauline and often also basal present at flowering time;

basal blades widely oblong-spatulate;

cauline blades abruptly differentiated, linear, 1–10 cm × 1–3 mm.

Inflorescences

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

pedicels 10–90(–110) mm.

flowers solitary or in dense, few-flowered clusters, sessile.

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.

7–12-merous;

calyx tube widely campanulate, 3–8 mm, not ridged, lobes setaceous, 3–17 mm;

corolla pink, eye greenish yellow, projections of eye into corolla tube oblong, without a border, tube 6–10 mm, lobes oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate-obovate, 12–30 × 4–11 mm, apex rounded to obtuse;

anthers slightly twisting helically, not coiling circinately.

2n

 = 34 + 8B.

 = 28.

Sabatia dodecandra

Sabatia gentianoides

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering late spring–fall.
Habitat Saltwater, brackish, or rarely freshwater marshes. Open wet pine woods, pine savannas, wet meadows, roadsides.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; DE; FL; GA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
[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.)

The name spider rose-gentian is derived from the appearance of the involucre subtending each solitary flower or cluster of a few flowers, which comprises two to four or more closely spaced pairs of narrowly linear leaves.

(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. brevifolia, S. calycina, S. campanulata, S. campestris, S. capitata, S. decandra, S. difformis, S. dodecandra, S. foliosa, S. formosa, S. grandiflora, S. kennedyana, S. macrophylla, S. quadrangula, S. stellaris
Synonyms Chironia dodecandra, S. chloroides Lapithea gentianoides
Name authority (Linnaeus) Britton: Sterns & Poggenburg, Prelim. Cat., 36. (1888) — (as Sabbatia) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 286. (1817) — (as Sabbatia)
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