This native perennial is in the honeysuckle family.

Folklore says that seeds were roasted and used as a coffee substitute, but there is little evidence of that, although the dried seeds do resemble coffee beans. A similar species is Early Horse Gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum), which has a very similar flower, but the leaves of the early variety narrow at the base and don't surround the stem. This can be difficult to distinguish sometimes. The fruit is red-orange.

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