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Hiker's Gentian - Gentianopsis simplex
Other Names:
Gentiana simplex, Gentianella simplex
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
DRAFT: Requesting feedback on the 2026 revised rank, factors, and State Rank Reason outlined below and in the Conservation Status Rank Report.
Gentianopsis simplex is rare in Montana, where it is known from less than 20 sites, primarily from the southwestern portion of the state. Population levels are poorly documented but appear to be small. The larger occurrences have less than 150 plants based on the available data, and total statewide populations may be only a few thousand plants. Population trends are unknown but are thought to be relatively stable in the recent past. Significant or widespread threats have not been documented besides those posed by climate change. The species is rated as "Extremely Vulnerable" to climate change (CCVI). The species' small population size places it at risk in the state.
Surveys are needed at the known locations to document population sizes and extent, habitat quality and potential threats. Monitoring of a subset of populations is needed to be able to determine potential trends. Additional surveys of potentially suitable habitat in southwest Montana are needed to determine if add
General Description
Hiker's Gentian has erect, usually simple stems that are 10-20 cm tall. The 2-5 pairs of opposite leaves are broadly lance-shaped to ovate and are 1-6 cm long; the upper are longer and narrower. Herbage is glabrous. The flowers are solitary at the ends of the stems. The calyx is 15-20 mm long and has four deep lobes at its top. The deep blue, funnel-shaped corolla is 20-40 mm long, four-parted, and lobed over nearly half its length. The lobes have small teeth along the sides but are rounded and entire-margined at the tips. The notches between the lobes are not plaited or fringed.
Phenology
Flowering in July-August.
Diagnostic Characteristics
This species can be distinguished from the more common Gentianopsis detonsa by the unbranched stems and entire-margined tips of the corolla lobes, and from G. aquatica by the blue corolla.
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Cascades of Oregon south to the Sierra Nevadas of central California, and east through Oregon to south-central and western Montana, Idaho, and Nevada. Peripheral.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 24
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Fens, meadows, and seeps, usually in areas of crystalline parent material, in the montane and subalpine zones.
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Alpine Riparian and Wetland
Peatland
Riparian Shrubland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
Reported threats to Montana's populations of Hiker's Gentian are currently assigned as unknown (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021). Populations in the vicinity of hiking trails are exposed to trampling by hikers or horses, but impacts are unlikely to lead to measurable population decline, and may benefit its annual life cycle.
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
MTNHP Threat Assessment. 2021. State Threat Score Assignment and Assessment of Reported Threats from 2006 to 2021 for State-listed Vascular Plants. Botany Program, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Culver, D.R. 1994. Floristic analysis of the Centennial Region, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman. 199 pp.
- Iltis, H.H. 1965. The genus Gentianopsis (Gentianaceae): transfers and phytogeographic comments. Sida 2:129-153.
- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Hiker's Gentian"
