About Swertia perennis L.
Swertia perennis L. is a flowering plant species in the gentian family, commonly known as felwort and star swertia. It is native to multiple areas of the northern hemisphere, including most of Eurasia and western North America. This plant grows in wetlands, especially in calcareous fens. While it ranges from common to abundant across many regions, it is negatively affected by habitat fragmentation, other forms of habitat destruction, and human activity has led to it being extirpated from some areas where it was once common. It is a perennial herb that typically grows a single erect stem between 10 and 50 centimeters tall. Its basal leaves are spoon-shaped with rounded tips, while leaves growing higher on the stem are widely lance-shaped or somewhat oval, with pointed tips. The inflorescence, located at the top of the stem, is an open panicle of flowers. Each flower has a calyx made of four or five pointed sepals, and a corolla of four or five pointed lobes, each growing up to 1.3 centimeters long. The corolla ranges in color from dull blue to violet, marked with darker purplish veining or stippling. There are two rounded nectary pits at the base of each corolla lobe. Stamens tipped with large anthers surround a central ovary.
