sure looks like Gentiana clausa to me too.

Well, I don't know but they are BEAUTIFUL!

Gentiana clausa -- andrewsii doesn't have tucked-in tips of the petals like that. Your plants really are lovely!

Thank you all. Clausa it is then.

I must say, the Peterson Guide is really great at pointing out differences between similar species. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

K

WOW!

Beautiful!

Thanks again.

When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in the woods and fields across from my parents house. One of my most vivid memories is walking through the fields in the fall and seeing Gentiana andrewsii, fall asters and goldenrod all over the place. Now all those fields and woods are gone. Just lots and lots of houses with green lawns. Very sad.

Kevin

G. andrewsii & G. clausa are so close they are almost interchangeable. They are both native to NY state. They are both commonly called closed gentian.
The key for my state's flora says:
Corolla lobes shorter than the plaits = G. andrewsii
Corolla lobes longer than the plaits = G. clausa
If you like gentian the real show starts next month when Fringed Gentian blooms. The cobalt blue flowers open up and are exquisite but the plant dies after flowering.
Sam

Sam
Thanks. Here's what Peterson's says about andrewsii: "The deep blue petals stay closed, joined by and slightly exceeded by a fringed whitish membrane. A very similar species G. clausa, has the petal tips free of the joining membrane."

I did dissect one of the flowers and could not find the above mentioned membrane.