The blue gentians of the European Alps are probably the most widely known and loved alpine flowers. At suitable altitudes, from June to August, the trumpet varieties (Gentiana acaulis and its allies) and the starry Gentiana verna relatives are ubiquitous, startling in the intensity of the blue colour.

Gentiana acaulis is the famed gentian of the Europeans Alps, with very large flowers of the most intense gentian blue on short stems. This is a fine form, flowering freely in the garden and in the pots. Old, congested mats eventually stop flowering in the centre, so spread it out every few years.