and curl back. Tap seed out and store dry in sealed, refrigerated containers for up to four years. Stratify for 3 months at 40 degrees for best germination.
Bumblebees are the only pollinators in our area with enough muscle to open the "bottles." Having opened the blossom they dive in head first and begin their distinctive vibrational method of pollination. This floral characteristic excludes smaller insects that are less efficient at pollination from robbing nectar and pollen from the bumblebees.
The plant is essentially carefree with no known diseases or pests. The seed in sometimes consumed by pests, but this is inconspicuous. Because the foliage and roots are bitter-tasting, mammalian herbivores usually don't use this plant as a food source. However, deer may chomp off the tender tops of the plants before they have a chance to flower. This can cause the central stem to form smaller side branches. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds.
Bottle Gentian is native from Maine to New York, and then from New Jersey to North Carolina along the mountains, and it inhabits wood borders and stream banks. The Chesapeake Natives populations are from the Broad Run floodplain in Virginia, and Waldorf, Maryland.