Purple Gentian
CR

Purple Gentian

Gentiana purpurea

UnknownLCEULCEU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiana_purpurea

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Purple Gentian faces severe population declines due to habitat loss from agricultural expansion and tourism development in mountain regions. Climate change poses an additional critical threat as warming temperatures force this alpine specialist to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. Over-collection for traditional medicine and ornamental purposes has further reduced wild populations across its range.

Threat summary

Habitat

Alpine and subalpine meadows, grasslands, and rocky slopes at elevations between 500-3000 meters in European mountain ranges. Typically found in calcareous soils of the Alps, Pyrenees, and other montane regions with cool, moist conditions.

Other threatened species in Gentianaceae

VU

Golden dwarfgentian

Gentianella aurea

Unknown
VU

parasitic ghostplant

Voyria parasitica

Unknown
VU

Leafless Ghostplant

Voyria aphylla

Unknown
VU

Bisgoeppertia gracilis

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Purple Gentian classified as Critically Endangered?
Purple Gentian is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Purple Gentian faces severe population declines due to habitat loss from agricultural expansion and tourism development in mountain regions. Climate change poses an additional critical threat as warming temperatures force this alpine specialist to retreat to increasingly limited high-elevation refugia. Over-collection for traditional medicine and ornamental purposes has further reduced wild populations across its range.
Where does Purple Gentian live?
Purple Gentian occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Purple Gentian?
The main threats to Purple Gentian are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.