MOSS GENTIAN 
Gentiana prostrata Haenke 
This tiny gentian will escape all but the keenest eyes. The flowers 
open only in bright sunshine, and the stems creep through the grass, 
as though to elude detection. The corollas are usually of the brightest 
blue, but sometimes they are white. The minute green leaves have a 
natrow white cartilaginous border which is not found in other gen- 
tians. This is a truly alpine plant. It 1s the smallest of the North 
American gentians. 
The moss gentian ranges from the Colorado Rockies to Alberta 
and Alaska and the Arctic regions of the Old World. The American 
plant differs slightly from the typical Eurasian form and is sometimes 
recognized as variety americana. 
This specimen was found neat the shore of Lake Magog at the 
base of Mount Assiniboine, Alberta, at an altitude of 7,500 feet. 
PLATE 178 
