Gentiana & Gentianella.

                   Gentiana and Gentianella.

A very detailed and informative book by Josef. J. Halda on the genus, and a joy to hold in your hands.

The beautiful botanical illustrations of this book by Jarmila Haldova are exquisite, I don't know if this book is still available, but if you ever see it it is worth buying, the information and line drawings are all  very good. Printed 1996.

Gentiana alpina, Vall de Nuria, Spain. One of the G. acaulis group but smaller than G. acaulis, plants found in damp acidic grassland.

Gentiana acaulis purple Cyril Lafong's Glass House, Scotland. All plants in Cyril"s glass house like Wisley's glass house, pots are plunged or positioned on top of damp sand. There is quite a range of different  Gentiana acaulis seed listed on AGS & SRGC seed lists, but we may have to wait to order seed from them due to Coronavirus.

Gentiana acaulis Arctic Fanfare AGS show bench above, close up mine below in the crevice garden, my plant was raised from AGS seed 2815. 1/2018. 

Gentiana acaulis, Wisley in the back glass house, not open to the general public, otherwise it would be displayed in perfect condition with all old leaves removed and trimmed.

Gentiana acaulis Wisley Rock Garden, available at Gentiana Nursery, Victoria and often sold at Ferny Creek Hort. Soc. plant sales day's. It is also sometimes on the Bunfight table but you need to be quick.

Gentiana acaulis and small Primula auricula trough Cyril Lafong Garden.

Gentiana angustifolia another of the G. acaulis group and very similar but the leaves differ from acaulis.

Lynn's Rare plants has this Gentiana for sale sometimes.

Gentiana angustifolia in Jon's trough, wedged between slate to keep roots cool,  my plant is wedged between pavers also to keep roots cool.

Gentiana angustifolia Mulleres Valley, Spain. Quite a moist spot but also quite stony, as you can see with small stones surrounding plant.

Gentiana angustifolia Iceberg no longer with me. T Huber seed, raised by Otto, very similar to G. acaulis Arctic Fanfare. 

Gentiana clusii photo taken in the Pyrenees. 

Gentiana depressa the true form. Often when you order seed of Gentiana depressa and it looks totally wrong, nothing like this photo above, with thanks to Donald Macauley photo. The true Gentiana depressa is from Central Nepal to South Western Tibet on open slopes at 3,300m to 4,300m a very desirable alpine. Often what you get is Gentian pneumonanthe sub. sp. depressa with dark blue flowers largish  leaves,  20 to 30cm tall flowering late summer easy from seed and seems fairly easy to grow, while the true Gentiana depressa can be a lot more difficult to grow and keep.

Gentiana dinarica and Androsace villosa, Italian, Central Apennines Jon's photo. Also close to the G. acaulis group. The excitement when seeing Gentiana coming through the grass like this while walking in the mountains,  you just can't help but get excited, even your partner exclaims "Gentians" on seeing them, who claim's he knows nothing about plants,  but knew that name.

Gentian lutea Mullers Valley, Spain,  reaching 1 meter in height, this area is quite moist underfoot. Very slow from seed and takes quite a few years to reach this size, they have a very long roots that go a long way down to the extra moisture in the soil.

Gentiana makinoi above and below I raised this plant from seed about 15 years ago, soundly perennial forms a clump with stems about 40cm in height. This is my favourite Gentiana a lovely soft blue, I grow it in the corner of an old wash tub which keeps it cool. G. makinoi is from Japan (Honshu only) from wet places, high in the Mountains, but seems to like Australian conditions worth trying from seed. 

Gentiana occidentalis Bielsa Tunnel, Spain above and below. Another of the G. acaulis group all differing slightly. As you can see from the top photo, the flower buds just about to open, loving and living next to the limestone rock.

Gentiana paradoxa SRG seed exchange 2014 a very good colour (not photo shopped). I find Gentiana paradoxa a fairly easy Gentiana in our climate. it is endemic to the foothills of the Caucasus Mts.near the Black Sea growing to about 20cm in height.

Gentiana paradoxa Aaron's form, from seed above and below in a trough.

Gentiana prolata, plant purchased in New Zealand and left with Lelie C. seed collected and sent to Australia, plant raised and flowered and lived for approx 6-7 years and has recently died.

Gentiana pyrenaica Vall de Nuria, Spain. Quite distinctive when you see it growing in moist grass.

It looks totally different to G. verna and you will often see them growing side by side .

Gentiana scabra Zuki-rindo above and below, difficult to capture the true colour of this Gentian, growing in the crevice garden, it also had beautiful autumn foliage this year.

Gentiana scabra comes in many shades of blue, another relatively easy 

gentiana. 

Gentiana septemfida above Jon, Czech seed purchased from a supermarket in 2017  because it was commercially packaged and was on Bicon straight through customs.

 Gentiana sino ornata above and below in a trough and creviced between slate, it grows very well for me, but I have tried it unsuccessfully in the garden each time loosing it.

Gentiana sino ornata, Vi Czech seed. Otto was telling me today he once had 20 cultivar's of  Gentiana sino ornata. 

Gentiana verna growing in a trough, in my garden. 

Gentian verna album trough crevice, doing very well for me.

Gentiana verna small rock garden Cyril Lafong

Gentiana verna, Italian Central Apennines, Jon's Photo.

Gentianella muelleriana sub-species muelleriana photo taken at Falls Creek, Victoria.
Thank you Chris for photo.

Gentianella montana foliage photo taken Cobb Valley, South Island, New Zealand.

Gentianella montana Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand, photo taken by David T. N.Z.
Thank you David.

Gentianella montana an unusual purple form, from Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand.

photo curtosey David T.

I have seen mauve forms of our Gentianella muelleriana sub. sp. mulleriana too at Mt Niggerhead, Falls Creek, approx 2,000m above sea level. 

All being well with the coronavirus we hope to have our second meeting for the year with Greg, Tracey and Betty speaking on UK gardens they visited. Starting at 2.00pm, 25th July. at the Community house, 

81 Olinda - Monbulk Road, Olinda 3788. 

The kitchen will be closed so bring your own thermos and afternoon tea, you will be greeted at the door with hand sanatizer and 2 books to sign in. 

Please check the news letter to see if we go ahead with our meeting as things are changing so fast, we are not sure what will happen at this stage.