Herbs annual or biennial, 0.2–6 dm. Stems: branching diverse, often from base as well as distally. Leaves: basal usually persistent and green at flowering, blades narrowly obovate to spatulate, oblanceolate, oblong, or linear (subsp. raupii) 0.5–3.5(–6) cm × 3–18 mm, apex rounded or obtuse, sometimes subacute or acute (subsp. detonsa), at least distal cauline blades oblanceolate, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or linear, (0.5–)1.5–6.5 cm × 1–7(–15) mm, apex rounded to obtuse, or usually acute (subsp. detonsa). Peduncles (0.3–)1–15 cm. Flowers often 1 per primary stem, occasionally 2–5; calyx 7–30 mm, keel smooth, all or at least inner lobes less than 1.5 times as long as tube, lobes ovate to narrowly lanceolate, varying with subspecies; corolla pale to deep blue or occasionally pale yellow or white, 12–50 mm, lobes oblong, oblong-lanceolate, oblong-triangular, oblong-orbiculate, or proximally oblong, distally obovate to suborbiculate, varying with subspecies, 5–20 × 4–12(–15) mm, margins proximally fringed or merely erose to dentate, distally dentate; ovary ± short-stipitate. Seeds papillate, not winged.

Distribution

North America, Eurasia.

Discussion

Subspecies 4 (4 in the flora).

References to Gentianopsis detonsa in the Rocky Mountains from Montana south to New Mexico have been based on circumscriptions of the species that included G. thermalis. Specimens formerly so identified from Illinois, Indiana, and Ontario south of the James Bay region are G. virgata subsp. virgata. Those from Minnesota are G. virgata subsp. macounii.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. detonsa, Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. nesophila, Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. raupii, Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. yukonensis

Key

1	Margins of corolla lobes dentate or erose, not fringed; halophytes of northern seacoasts (includ­ing Mackenzie Delta).	> 2
2	Basal leaf blades oblanceolate, apex obtuse to acute; cauline leaf blades (if present) linear, apex usually acute; corolla lobes 0.5+ times as long as tube; seed coat papillate only toward ends.	Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. detonsa
2	Leaf blades obovate to spatulate or oblan­ceolate or distal cauline leaf blades (if present) elliptic to lanceolate, apex rounded or obtuse; corolla lobes to 0.5 times as long as tube; seed coat completely papillate.	Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. nesophila
1	Margins of most corolla lobes fringed proximally, dentate toward apex; plants of the interior, approaching Arctic coast only in Mackenzie Delta (subsp. raupii).	> 3
3	Distinct rosette of basal leaves present at flowering, separated from cauline leaf blades; corolla lobes acute apically.	Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. yukonensis
3	Basal leaves generally persistent but rosette not well developed, transitional to cauline leaves; corolla lobes rounded apically.	Gentianopsis detonsa subsp. raupii