Appearance
It is a perennial plant, growing up to a height of 10 centimetres tall and forming a mat up to 50 centimetres wide. The leaves, which can be lanceolate, elliptical or obovate, are evergreen, 2–3.5 cm long, in a basal rosette, forming clumps. The trumpet-shaped terminal flowers are blue with olive-green spotted longitudinal throats. They grow on a very short peduncle, 3–6 cm long. The flower stem is often without leaves, or has 1 or 2 pairs of leaves. It likes full sun, is fully hardy and flowers in late spring and summer.
Naming
The Latin specific epithet ''acaulis'' means "short-stemmed".The closely related ''Gentiana clusii'', often called by the same common name as this species, differs in its preference for limy soils. It also has shorter leaves and the flowers have no olive-green stripes.
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