Rose Pink

Sabatia angularis

The first time I saw the bright pink flowers of Rose pink, I fell in love with it. Who wouldn't? Each plant formed its own beautiful bouquet. I remember feeling astonished not to have noticed the flowers before. The following year, I was eager to spot them flowering again, but where were they? Over the years, I’ve noticed their flowering varies significantly depending on the amount of rainfall. In years of drought, very few, if any Sabatia angularis will flower, but when rain is abundant they put on a show.


  1. NAME
  2. BLOOM
  3. POLLINATORS
  4. DESCRIPTION
  5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
  6. HABITAT
  7. CONSERVATION STATUS
  8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

Sabatia angularis is one of the approximately 20 species in the Gentianaceae family of flowering plants. It is named for Liberato Sabbati, an 18th Century Italian botanist. The term angularis, Latin for angular, refers to the angled stem. Among the many common names used in various parts of the country are Sabatia, Rose gentian, Rosepink, Rose Marsh, Bitter Clover, Eyebright, Red Centaury, American Centaury, Wild Succory and Bitterbloom.


Sabatia angularis has a long bloom time. In northern Arkansas, I’ve found them blooming from June into September. The flowers are a deep, vibrant pink. Occasionally, I find plants with white flowers or mixed with both pink and white.

  • Pink flowers
    Pink flowers
  • Pink and white flowers
    Pink and white flowers
  • White flowers
    White flowers
  • White flowers
    White flowers

    • Flowers reach about a 1 to 1.5 inches across with each flower having 5 petals. At the base of each of the 5 petals is a chartreuse 'triangle'. Altogether the 'triangles' create the effect of a central, small star which is beautifully outlined in dark pink.

    Green star outlined in dark pink
    Green star outlined in dark pink

    The flowers are protandrous, meaning the stamens (male) of a given flower mature prior to the style (female). This helps to reduce self-pollination. The five stamens, laden with bright yellow pollen, arise from the edges of the 'star'. Centered inside the 'star' is the green (sometimes yellow) ovary. The style is divided into two parts which are initially entwined (male phase) and lay against a petal. When most of the pollen has been shed from the anthers, the style raises up and partially divides (female phase), becoming receptive to pollen from nearby flowers. Underneath the petals, the green calyx can be seen with 5 sepals.

  • Male phase
    Male phase
  • Female phase
    Female phase
  • Opening bud
    Opening bud
  • Buds and bracts
    Buds and bracts
  • Green bracts
    Green bracts
  • Spent flower (right)
    Spent flower (right)

    • Sabatia angularis is a biennial plant. Seeds germinate in spring, developing a basal rosette that persists through winter with flowers appearing the following summer. Plants reach up to to 3 ft tall on smooth, stout, square, stems. Stems are winged, most often in the lower half. Each plant develops many branches which arise opposite.

    Leaves are sessile and lanceolate to heart-shaped. The fruit ripens in Autumn. It consists of a capsule containing many tiny seeds. Seeds are dispersed by wind or floating on water.

  • Angled stem, Opposite leaves
    Angled stem, Opposite leaves
  • Unripe fruits
    Unripe fruits

    • Sabatia angularis flowers do not produce nectar. Pollinators visit the flowers to feed on pollen and to store it for their young. The primary pollinators are various bees (the flowers are also capable of self pollination). Bee pollinators include leaf-cutter bees (Megachilidae), sweat bees (Halictidae), andrenid bees (Andrenidae) and small carpenter bees (Anthophoridae).*

    There is some misinformation online suggesting that Sabatia angularis is a good butterfly plant. But, butterflies don't really frequent this plant. Butterflies are seeking nectar (not pollen) and Sabatia angularis doesn't produce nectar. There is a butterfly that visits this plant to lay eggs for their young (see Interesting Tidbits section below).

    I've noted a few insect and spider visitors of Rose Pink in addition to the bees mentioned above, but these are not pollinators. The visitors include ants, an insect in the Genus Falsomordellistena, and various spiders.

    *Spigler RB. Plasticity of floral longevity and floral display in the self-compatible biennial Sabatia angularis (Gentianaceae): untangling the role of multiple components of pollination. Ann Bot. 2017 Jan;119(1):167-176. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcw195.
  • Augochlorine Sweat bee
    Augochlorine Sweat bee
  • Subtribe Halictina
    Subtribe Halictina
  • Genus Falsomordellistena
    Genus Falsomordellistena
  • Ant
    Ant

    • I find Rose Pink often growing near Spotted St. John's-wort (Hypericum punctatum). Other common companions include Asclepias verticillata, Bradburia pilosa, Elephantopus carolinianus, Erigeron annuus, Eupatorium rotundifolium, Eupatorium serotinum, Helianthus mollis, Passiflora incarnata and Rubus sp.

  • With Hypericum punctatum
    With Hypericum punctatum
  • with Mimosa quadrivalvis
    with Mimosa quadrivalvis
  • With Rubus sp.
    With Rubus sp. (Wild blackberry)
  • With Eupatorium serotinum
    With Eupatorium serotinum

    • Rose pink tends to grow in loose colonies. Habitats include low, moist areas, often at the edges of rocky, open woods and moist, suny grasslands.

  • Woodland edge habitat
    Woodland edge habitat
  • Grassland habitat
    Grassland habitat

    • In Arkansas, Sabatia Angularis has a Conservation Value of 6, meaning 'Typically matrix taxa in intact, stable habitats, with some limited ability to respond to destabilizing forces and repopulate areas from which they have been extirpated'.

    Native to the southeastern United States and northword to Michigan and New York, Sabatia Angularis is Imperiled in Michigan and Critically Imperiled in New York and Kansas. It is Secure in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and and Apparently Secure in New Jersey and South Carolina. All other states within its range show No Status Ranking on Natureserve.


    Sabatia angularis is a host plant for the Agyrostrotis anilis (Short-Lined Chocolate).

    Short-lined Chocolate Moth
    Short-lined Chocolate Moth

    By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren - # 8764 – Argyrostrotis anilis – Short-lined Chocolate Moth, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74839413