woodland wildflower

Downy gentian

Gentiana puberulenta

Native to the Midwest, the Great Plains, and the Southeast and southern Canada

Western New York to Wisconsin and Manitoba, south to Tennessee, Arkansas and Kansas

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry Moisture preference
Zones 3–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Aug–Oct Flowering time
Height up to 2 ft to 0.6 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for full sun to part shade and lean, dry soil. At up to 2 ft, it suits shade gardens and woodland edges. Hardy in USDA zones 3–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also American Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Golden-tailed Leafcutter Bee +12 more
ground cherry sweat bee, Thistle Longhorn-Cuckoo, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Triepeolus cressonii, Illinois Sweat Bee, Variable Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Illinois Cuckoo Sweat Bee, white-winged sweat bee, Pseudopanurgus labrosus, Colletes productus, Eastern Cuckoo Sweat Bee, Xenoglossa strenua
Flower flies Dusky-banded Leafwalker

also Volucella bombylans, Scar-horned Blacklet, Epistrophe emarginata +2 more
Two-spotted Leafwalker, Eastern Orange-tailed Leafwalker
Butterflies Viceroy also Thecla edwardsi

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Edwards' hairstreaknectar
Viceroynectar

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: The Midwest, the Great Plains, and the Southeast and southern CanadaUnited States (16): AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NY, OH, SD, TN, WI. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Western New York to Wisconsin and Manitoba, south to Tennessee, Arkansas and KansasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–8 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Calcareous soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).

Growth & form

Height: up to 2 ft (to 0.6 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Aug–OctWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Blue, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.