Frasera speciosa (Green Gentian, Monument Plant)

Order Gentianales, Family Gentianaceae, Genus Frasera

Sometimes confused with Woolly Mullein (Verbscum thapsis), this plant is quite hairless, and not the least bit wooly. Studies have shown that a Green Gentian can take 20 to 60 years to accumulate enough energy to bloom, which it does only once.

 

 

 

This photo shows the diference between F. speciosa, a native wildflower, and V. thapsis, a noxious plant, in the rosette stage.