Gentian Family (Gentianaceae)

• yellowish gentian​

Grape Family (Vitaceae)

• riverbank grape

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yellowish gentian

Gentiana alba

Yellowish gentian does very well in our prairie plantings, seeming to make seed more easily than our prairie gentian, a deep, bluish-purple species of our dry prairie remnants.
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Scientific name origin
Named for the last king of Illyria, Gentius, who is said to have discovered that the plant cured his troops of a strange illness in BC times. This indeed is an old name applied to over 400 species world-wide in this genus.

Bumble bees of the species Bombus impatiens collect the nectar and pollen from these creamy colored flowers. Alba is Latin for white, although clearly the common name focuses on the yellowish aspect of the flowers.

riverbank grape

Vitis riparia

By far the most common grape species here with its climbing woody vine able to grow to great lengths. The vines start out as a smooth green to gray-brown but become woody, reddish-brown, and shredding.

The tiny dark blue grapes with a waxy white coating are only sweet to us after a frost. Birds and mammals love these and “plant” the seeds everywhere.
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Nest material
The cardinals, catbirds, and brown thrashers use the long strips of bark in the middle layer of their nests.

​Scientific name origin
Vitis is the Latin word for vine and riparia is borrowed from Latin rīpārius  meaning “relating to a riverbank”.