Gentiana froelichii

Gentiana froelichii was described by German botanist Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach^[4] in his work Fl. Germ. Excurs. from 1832.^[2][1] The species' name is dedicated to German doctor, entomologist and botanist Josef Aloys Frölich, who lived between 1766 and 1841, and is an author of a monograph from 1796 dealing with genus Gentiana.^[9] There are two reported plant subspecies; Gentiana froelichii subsp. froelichii and Gentiana froelichii subsp. zenariae.^[2][9]

The species appearance is similar to that of related Gentiana clusii^[10] and Gentiana frigida^[11] species. The plant reaches from 5 to 10 cm of height.^[12] Linear to oblanceolate gutter-like leaves are arranged into a rosette. There are only a few stem leaves (usually one or two pairs^[5]),^[10] which are also visibly smaller.^[12] The plant's characteristic are many non-flowering shoots growing nearby a flowering shoot.^[10]

A flowering shoot has one, or less often two, flowers.^[5] This low growing plant's petals are bright blue^[10][12] to violet^[12] and its corolla lobes are not spread out like in many other Gentiana species (instead they are set upright).^[10] The corolla measures from 3 to 4 cm,^[10][12] with a conical corolla tube. The calyx is bell-like, with long, straight, and sharpened calyx teeth. The anthers are fused together right next to the style. The plant's stigma is lobate, its lobes being linear to oblanceolate.^[10] The gentian's flowering period is between August and September.^[10][13]

Gentiana froelichii has not yet been studied for the IUCN Red List.^[14] It is thought the species is potentially threatened.^[12]

In Slovenia and Austria it can be found as an endemic plant in eastern Karawanks and Kamnik–Savinja Alps. Gentiana froelichii also grows elsewhere; different subspecies occurs in Italian Julian Alps and Carnic Alps.^[14] The plant grows beyond the tree line; its usual habitat consists of stony meadows and rock crevices, located in alpine zone.^[10]