Plain Gentian

Gentiana alba

Pollinator Value

❄️ Winter Food Source: Genus-level avian diet records show Lapland Longspur and White-tailed Ptarmigan consume Gentiana seeds. Seed capsules split open in fall, potentially persisting into early winter. Note: these bird species are not typical of the Outaouais region.
S57 genus-level Gentiana; S10 seed capsules split into 2 sections

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: W
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.4 – North Central Hardwood Forests
Rarity Notes: Federally listed as Endangered under SARA Schedule 1 (listed 2003). COSEWIC status Endangered. NatureServe global rank G4 but national rank N1 in Canada. In Ontario ranked S1 (Critically Imperiled) with very few known populations. Nearly extirpated in Michigan. Range restricted primarily to the upper Midwest US (WI, IL, IN, IA, MI, OH, KY).
S26 SARA ENDANGERED Schedule 1; S22 G4, N1 CA, S1 ON; S7 nearly extirpated in Michigan
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S1 – Critically Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A prairie and savanna species of the upper Midwest, Gentiana alba inhabits mesic black soil prairies, open oak savannas, and the edges of upland forests. In Ontario, populations are critically imperiled (S1) and restricted to scattered sites. The species is federally listed as Endangered under SARA. GBIF specimens concentrate in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan; the nearest Canadian occurrences are in southern Ontario.
S7 dry/moist prairies, open oak savanna; S10 mesic black soil prairies, sandy oak savannas; S22 S1 ON, SARA Endangered; S26 SARA ENDANGERED Schedule 1

Roles: Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 4 bee associations (threshold=3)]

Category: Alterative
S28 Drug, Alterative
Notes: Potawatomi used an infusion of the root as an alterative (Smith 1933). The genus Gentiana is widely recognized in both European and Indigenous North American pharmacopeias for bitter tonic properties, though specific documentation for G. alba is limited to a single Moerman record.
S28 Potawatomi Drug Alterative, infusion of root

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses documented in Moerman NAEB or other sources. The genus Gentiana has a reputation for intensely bitter compounds, which historically deterred culinary use.
S28 no Food category; S10 bitter leaves