Red flowered Gentians

[David Nicholson]

A friend of mine has a red flowered Gentian in flower in his garden. He was given the plant and has never had a label and he knows nothing about the plant. Can anyone tell me what it might be please?

[GordonT]

Hello David, I'm slowly putting together a collection of Gentians, but haven't come across a red one yet. I do have a couple of seedlings of Gentiana purpurea. Some of the photos of this species on the web might be described as wine red.

[Robert]

David,

I have a batch of Gentiana purpurea coming on (thanks to a generous forumist!    ). As Gordon mentioned, my understanding is that some plants can be wine red. From the photographs of this species I have seen, it seems fairly distinct, so perhaps easy to identify.

Maybe your friend will let you photograph the plant or they can photograph it?

We have many highly talented forumist that I am sure will be able to identify it.

[arisaema]

Seems the likeliest suspect would be one of the dark pink G. scabra? hybrids they sell at garden centers and supermarkets in autumn?

[Jupiter]

Could it be refered to as a red gentian because it's family Gentianaceae and not genus Gentiana at all?

[Otto Fauser]

Jamus ,, there are at least 2 species red flowered gentians that grow in the Andes : G. sedifolia  and hirculus . I raised G. hirculus many years ago from collected seed but it proved to be monocarpic . ,so I guess they belong to the genus Gentianella .

    the Viola species you posted a week or two ago is V. cornuta .

[Jupiter]

Ah thank you Otto, what you're saying without actually saying it is that I'm right!   Gentianella are very beautiful, I've been googling them and some are very desirable plants.

[Gabriela]

I don't know of any red flower Gentiana sp., except if we consider G. purpurea, which is a deep red-wine. Even hybrids and cv. of Gentiana scabra are pink towards magenta at best. I would very much like to see a red Gentiana

Most Gentianella spp. are also pink, in various degrees, or mauve. Gentiana sedifolia, with all due respect is not red and hirculus is indeed a Gentianella (and not red either).

I think without a picture we are just talking about a 'phantom' Gentiana that it may not be a Gentiana - and this thread probably belongs better to plants ID.

[Roma]

Weren't there some pictures on the Forum a few years back of a red Gentian?  I think it was a hybrid between purpurea and another which I can't remember.

[Maggi Young]

Cliff has a  reddish G. purpurea here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=8869.msg252810#msg252810

 And  from this post from Luit - about reddish gentians shown to the KAVB at Lisse, there are other posts with  links to  posts re red /reddih ornage gentians...   http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1315.msg314801#msg314801   

[arisaema]

Note that it is in flower now, which certainly rules out G. purpurea and pannonica, as well as most Gentianella. G. scabra 'Zuki-rindo' is sold in supermarkets, and it is at least reddish: http://botanicallyinclined.org/sunday-phlog-never-enough-gentians-gentiana-species/

[David Nicholson]

Seems the likeliest suspect would be one of the dark pink G. scabra? hybrids they sell at garden centers and supermarkets in autumn?

Thanks indeed everyone. If I were a betting man I would bet short odds that Bjorna was right. I've asked my friend to find out where the person who gave it to him got it from and anything else he/she knows about it. Will report back as and when I can

[TheOnionMan]

Gentiana pannonica (normally purplish, a few photos show red flowers)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasroland/4996685876
http://www.pbase.com/image/100269625

Many photos of G. purpurea look straight out red
http://images.summitpost.org/original/871312.jpg

Triosteum perfoliatum (Late Horse Gentian) Who knows when someboady says "gentian" what they're truly referring to ;-) 
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/udata/r9ndp23q/pd/triosteum-perfoliatum-17.jpg

Prairie Gentian, Lisianthus hybrids, (Eustoma grandiflorum)
There's some red ones, I did not include links to these monstrous developments of an otherwise elegant prairie wildflower.

Gentianella rupicola, and G. cernua, both reddish orange
scroll down to find it:
http://www.snipview.com/q/Gentianella

Gentiana lutea x G.purpurea on SRGC 2013
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10681.165

[David Nicholson]

Cheers for that McMark, very helpful.

[Gabriela]

I also think Arisaema is right - probably some G. scabra cv., but as to the colour it depends what we call red. G. scabra has flowers in the magenta range (with more blue than red mixed in).
Few images of G. purpurea and G. pannonica are surely arranged a bit with Photoshop and that changes completely the reality.
Here are few with G. pannonica, a bit more true -
http://www.biowin.at/all/Pflanzen/bilder/gentianales/gentianaceae/Gentiana/Gentiana%20pannonica/Gentiana%20pannonica.htm
Gentianas are beautiful in any colour