Flower profile

Monument plant

Frasera speciosa

Monument plant (Frasera speciosa) is a flowering plant in the Gentianaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Monument plant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.

13states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

12,180U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Quick look

Frasera speciosa is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family (Gentianaceae) known by the common names elkweed, monument plant, and green gentian. When blooming it grows a tall stalk with numerous flowers that have purple dotted green petals. Each plant can flower just once before it dies.
From Wikipedia's article Frasera speciosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Gentianaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 13 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Montana. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 4,773 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #22 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,647 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #21 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,555 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #7 among the 113 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,234 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	June–July	4,773
Utah	Native	June–July	1,647
Wyoming	Native	June–July	1,555
New Mexico	Native	June–September	692
Montana	Native	few records (45)	511

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records monument plant in 13 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Boulder, Clear Creek, Dolores, Eagle, El Paso, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Park, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, Teller.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Hot Springs, Johnson, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton, Washakie, Weston.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Frasera angustifolia, Frasera macrophylla, Frasera stenosepala, Swertia radiata, Tesseranthium angustifolium, Tesseranthium macrophyllum, Tesseranthium radiatum.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 162 counties across 13 states; the most are in Utah (29), Colorado (22), Wyoming (18).

More from the Gentianaceae family (8 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Rosepink, Meadow pink, Mountain bog gentian, Parry's gentian, Bottle gentian, Felwort, Rocky Mountain fringed gentian, Broad-petal gentian.