purple flower pink root

Spigelia gentianoides is a rare species of flowering plant in the Loganiaceae known by the common names purpleflower pinkroot and gentian pinkroot. It is native to Alabama and Florida in the United States, where a few small populations remain. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat, and is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

This perennial herb produces a slender, erect, red-tinged stem up to about 30 centimeters tall from a rhizome. The oppositely arranged leaves are up to 5 centimeters long by 2 wide. The inflorescence is a raceme of flowers atop the stem. Each flower has a tubular pink corolla up to 3 centimeters long with five triangular lobes. Blooming generally occurs in May through July, but plants can be seen in flower between April and October.