Herbs biennial or perhaps some­times annuals, 0.2–5(–7) dm. Stems except those of smal­lest plants with branches or pedun­cles arising from nodes distinctly above base, infre­quently from base (subsp. macounii). Leaves: basal usually withered by flowering, blades spatulate to oblanceolate, 0.8–6 cm × 1–18 mm, apex rounded to acute; cauline blades lin­ear to linear-lanceolate, 1.5–9 cm × 2–9(–12) mm, apex acute. Peduncles 1–20 cm. Flowers 1–many; calyx 12–60 mm, keels usually minutely granular-scabridulous to strongly papillate-scabridulous proximally, sometimes smooth, all or at least inner lobes less than 1.5 times as long as tube, outer lobes linear-lanceolate, apices acuminate to attenuate, inner lobes lance-ovate to ovate, apices acute to acuminate; corolla deep blue or rarely pale blue, rose-violet, white, or pale yellow, 18–60(–75) mm, lobes oblong-obovate to ovate-elliptic or orbiculate, 10–30 × 3–18 mm, margins proximally fringed, distally dentate or erose, or sometimes entire (subsp. victorinii), apex rounded; ovary subsessile to long-stipitate. Seeds papillate, not winged.

Distribution

North America.

Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Gentianopsis virgata subsp. macounii, Gentianopsis virgata subsp. victorinii, Gentianopsis virgata subsp. virgata

Key

1	Calyx keels usually strongly papillate-scabridulous, occasionally minutely or obscurely so or smooth; corolla lobes with lateral fringes usually 2–6 mm.	Gentianopsis virgata subsp. virgata
1	Calyx keels minutely granular-scabridulous near base or nearly smooth; corolla lobes with sparse lateral fringes to 2 mm or merely erose, dentate to serrate, or entire or nearly so.	> 2
2	Corolla lobes deeply dentate or serrate toward apex, teeth mostly 1+ mm; ovary at flowering with slender gynophore ± as long as body; estuary of St. Lawrence River, Quebec.	Gentianopsis virgata subsp. victorinii
2	Corolla lobes erose or shallowly dentate toward apex, teeth mostly less than 1 mm; ovary at flowering subsessile or with a thick gynophore much shorter than body; widely distributed in c, w North America, disjunct on Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec.	Gentianopsis virgata subsp. macounii