Taxon Report

Swertia perennis L.

felwort

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Swertia perennis, commonly known as felwort, is a perennial herb in the Gentianaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, Riparian scrub, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1935 to 3400 meters. Swertia perennis is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Swertia perennis L.
Common Name:	felwort
Family:	Gentianaceae
Element Code:	PDGEN0H010
USDA Plants Symbol:	SWPE
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Sep	Jul-Sep
Elevation:	1935-3400 (6350-11155)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Riparian scrub, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic (usually), Lake Margins (sometimes), Streambanks (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:	Found in wet (often alluvial) soil in mesic openings in coniferous forest or meadows near drainages or lake edges.

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 4.2 on 2024-09-26

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes




Threats:
Threatened by inappropriate grazing, trampling, and hydrological alterations. Potentially threatened by fire suppression activities and high severity fire.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed addition to CRPR 4.2, G5 / S3 (2024)

Species Plantarum 1: 226 (1753)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 29 March 2025].