Gentianella Moorcroftiana

Gentianella moorcroftiana is a high-altitude annual or biennial from Afghanistan, the western Himalayas, Nepal and Tibet. Slender branching stems carry numerous small trumpet flowers, typically violet-blue to purplish with paler folds and fine internal markings. Its airy habit differs from the heavy solitary blooms of perennial gentians and reflects a strategy of completing its life cycle during the brief subalpine summer. Rare in cultivation, it is an intriguing plant for a cool scree or alpine pot, where several seedlings can be grown together and allowed to set seed.