Gentiana asclepiadea, the willow gentian, is a species of flowering plant of the genus Gentiana in the family Gentianaceae, native to central and eastern Europe from primarily mountain (montane) woodland though it does occur in less wooded open pasture in some areas, perhaps persisting after woodland clearance. One of the larger species within the genus, it produces pairs of leaves, sometimes whorled in threes or fours around particularly vigorous shoots on stems that generally arch elegantly outward from the base of the plant between 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) in length. Trumpet-shaped, deep blue flowers occur in late summer into autumn. Like many members of the genus and indeed the family Gentianaceae, the roots have a close association with certain fungi in a similar way to the Orchidaceae and Ericaceae though of course completely unrelated to both of these families. This particular species is relatively easy to grow in most garden situations as long as it has plenty of organic material added to the soil. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)