About Halenia deflexa (Sm.) Griseb.
Halenia deflexa, commonly called green gentian or spurred gentian, is native to northern regions of the United States, specifically Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, and Pennsylvania, as well as the entire territory of Canada. It grows mostly in wetlands or moist forests within this range. Its typical blooming season runs from July to August. Flowers grow in clusters of 2 to 9 individual blooms, each measuring 8 to 13 mm (1⁄3 to 1⁄2 inch) long, with four petals. Each flower has a spur up to one-fifth of an inch long that extends backward past the sepals, which are the individual parts of the flower's calyx that enclose the petals. Flower color ranges from a purple shade to light green. The green, elliptic sepals are positioned between the spurs, and are about half the length of the petal portion above the spur. The plant produces a conical dry capsule fruit that protrudes from the flower opening; once ripe, the capsule splits open. Green gentian has simple, small leaves that are typically 1 to 5 cm (1⁄2 to 2 inches) long and 5 to 20 mm (1⁄4 to 3⁄4 inch) wide. The leaves are characteristically toothless, hairless, and glossy. The stems of green gentian are hairless and square-shaped.
