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How do you identify gentian?
Plants of the Gentian Family Gentians have distinctive, bell-shaped blossoms. They are usually bisexual and regular with 4 or 5 separate sepals, 4 or 5 united petals and 4 or 5 stamens. The stamens are inserted on the corolla tube and alternate with the lobes. The ovary is positioned superior.
What is the common name of gentian?
Gentian also is known as stemless gentian, yellow gentian, bitter root, bitterwort, felwort, pale gentian, wild gentian, gall weed, gentiana, Radix Gentianae Lutea.
Where is gentian found?
Gentians are known to people from North America and Europe as pretty, deep-blue flowers that are found in the Alps and Rocky Mountains.
What is gentian root used for?
Gentian is an herb. The root of the plant and, less commonly, the bark are used to make medicine. Gentian is used for digestion problems such as loss of appetite, bloating, diarrhea, and heartburn. It is also used for fever and to prevent muscle spasms.
What does gentian smell like?
These same roots are also used to make a medicinal essential oil used to overcome stomach aches and other gastric goodies However, gentian essential oil is also appreciated by perfumers for its floral fragrances tinged with anise and a light a touch of bitterness while offering musky or honeyed facets.
What are the side effects of gentian?
Still, the Sinupret label lists some possible side effects, including skin rash and stomach upset. Some individuals may also be hypersensitive to gentian root and develop adverse reactions (9, 14).
What color is gentian?
purplish blue colourNoun. A purplish blue colour.
Does gentian grow in the US?
These include such diverse plants as alpine gentian (G. newberryi), a pale blue flowered, mat-forming plant growing at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in the Sierra Nevada of the western states, and the wiregrass gentian (G. pennelliana) that is endemic to Florida and is listed as an endangered species.
What is special about when a gentian blooms?
An unusual aspect of gentian flowers is that the buds on some types do not open until the right pollinator forces them to expose their inner pistils and stamens. Many gentian wildflowers have trumpet-shaped blooms. Growing gentian can be found in a range of colors, depending on their location and species.
Is blue gentian poisonous?
Forms upright mound of shiny green leaves. Poisonous if ingested.
What is a substitute for gentian?
Similarly to gentian, quinine is used as a bittering agent for many a liqueur, amaro and vermouth.
Can I put gentian violet in my mouth?
Topical gentian violet is used to treat some types of fungus infections inside the mouth (thrush) and of the skin.
Where does the name gentian come from?
Gentian Forename Definition: A Greek name, meaning: The beautiful flower which thrives best on mountain heights. It is said to have been named after an Illyrian king, Gentius, who first discovered the tonic value of its root.
What is the plant gentian?
gentian, (genus Gentiana), any of about 400 species of annual or perennial (rarely biennial) flowering plants of the family Gentianaceae distributed worldwide in temperate and alpine regions, especially in Europe and Asia, North and South America, and New Zealand.
What family is gentian in?
GentianaceaeGentian / FamilyGentianaceae, the gentian family (order Gentianales) of flowering plants containing 102 genera and around 1,750 species of annual and perennial herbs and, rarely, shrubs. Members of the family are native primarily to northern temperate areas of the world, though many are also found in tropical and subtropical regions.
What does Gentiana mean?
Definition of Gentiana : the type genus of Gentianaceae comprising numerous annual, biennial, or perennial herbs which have smooth opposite leaves and showy solitary or cymose flowers with 4-lobed or 5-lobed corolla and some of which contain a bitter glycoside often used as a tonic — see gentian.
What is yellow gentian used for?
Great yellow gentian ( Gentiana lutea) is used in herbal medicine for digestive problems, fever, hypertension, muscle spasms, parasitic worms, wounds, cancer, sinusitis, and malaria, although studies have shown minimal efficacy beyond that of a placebo with regard to the treatment of anxiety and ADHD in children.
What is the bitter principle of gentian root?
The bitter principle of gentian root is primarily gentiopicrin (also called gentiopicroside), a glycoside. A 2007 paper by a Japanese group identified 23 compounds in fresh gentian root. Gentiopicrin was absent from fresh root, so it possibly develops during drying and storage of the root.
What is Gentiana lutea used for?
Many beverages are made with gentian root. Gentiana lutea is used to produce gentian, a distilled beverage produced in the Alps. Some species are harvested for the manufacture of apéritifs, liqueurs, and tonics .
What are the colors of the trumpet flowers?
The trumpet-shaped flowers are usually deep blue or azure, but can be white, cream, yellow, or red. Many species are polymorphic with respect to flower color, bearing flowers of different colors. Blue-flowered species predominate in the Northern Hemisphere, with red-flowered species dominant in the Andes, where bird pollination is probably more often favored by natural selection. White-flowered species are scattered throughout the range of the genus but dominate in New Zealand. Most flowers are pentamerous, with five lobes in the corolla and five sepals. A few species have four to seven flower parts. The corolla has folds called plicae between the lobes. The style is short or absent. The ovary is mostly sessile and has nectary glands.
Where do Gentiana frigida live?
Gentiana frigida. This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring in alpine habitats in temperate regions of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Some species also occur in northwestern Africa, eastern Australia, and New Zealand. They are annual, biennial, and perennial plants. Some are evergreen, others are not.
Where do blue-flowered birds live?
Blue-flowered species predominate in the Northern Hemisphere, with red-flowered species dominant in the Andes, where bird pollination is probably more often favored by natural selection. White-flowered species are scattered throughout the range of the genus but dominate in New Zealand.
Can gentians grow in full sun?
Many gentians are difficult to grow outside their wild habitat, but several species are available in cultivation. Gentians are fully hardy and can grow in full sun or partial shade. They grow in well-drained, neutral-to-acid soils rich in humus. They are popular in rock gardens .
What is a Gentian?
Gentians are hardy plants, renowned for their beautiful flowers in intense shades of blue. The name comes from Gentius, King of Illyria, said to have discovered the beneficial properties of gentians in boosting the immune and digestive systems. Today, as well as being used in herbal medicine, gentian is also used as a flavouring in bitters.
How tall is a Gentiana?
Several of the most popular species are the tiny spring gentian ( Gentiana verna ), the mat-forming and spreading autumn-flowering Chinese gentian ( Gentiana sino-ornata ), and the willow gentian ( Gentiana asclepidea ), 60-90 cm high. Flowers in shades of blue predominate, plus there are white, pink, and yellow-flowered varieties as well.
How do Gentians propagate?
Although gentians can be propagated by division of larger species, or removal of outer portions of mat-forming types, this should be done with care or avoided altogether as gentians dislike disturbance.
Where do gentians come from?
Belonging to the family Gentianaceae and with the botanical name of Gentiana, gentians originate from cooler climates around the world, with many found in mountainous regions. Several hundred species worldwide include annuals, biennials, and perennials. All those generally grown in gardens are perennial, blooming either in spring, summer, or autumn according to the species and bearing flowers that are trumpet, bell or urn shaped.
What type of soil do gentians need?
Knowing the pH of your soil before buying gentians is therefore important. What’s more, gentians need soil that’s free-draining yet moisture-retentive, with a high level of humus such as leaf mould or finely chipped bark. For containers, add a third by volume of horticultural grit to ensure thorough drainage.
Overview
Gentiana /ˌdʒɛntʃiˈeɪnə/ is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostly large, trumpet-shaped flowers, which are often of an intense blue.
Habitat
This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring in alpine habitats in temperate regions of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Some species also occur in northwestern Africa, eastern Australia, and New Zealand. They are annual, biennial, and perennial plants. Some are evergreen, others are not.
Many gentians are difficult to grow outside their wild habitat, but several speci…
Uses
Many beverages are made with gentian root. Gentiana lutea is used to produce gentian, a distilled beverage produced in the Alps and in the Auvergne. Some species are harvested for the manufacture of apéritifs, liqueurs, and tonics.
Gentian root is a common beverage flavouring for bitters. The soft drink Moxie contains gentian root. The French apéritif Suze is made with gentian. American…
Species
Gentians have oppositely arranged leaves, sometimes in a basal rosette. The trumpet-shaped flowers are usually deep blue or azure, but can be white, cream, yellow, or red. Many species are polymorphic with respect to flower color, bearing flowers of different colors. Blue-flowered species predominate in the Northern Hemisphere, with red-flowered species dominant in the Andes, where bird pollination is probably more often favored by natural selection. White-flowere…
Cultivation
Several gentian species may be found in cultivation, and are valued for the unusual intensity of their blue flowers. They have a reputation for being difficult to grow. All require similar conditions – moist, rich, free-draining soil with an acid to neutral pH. They include:
• G. acaulis
Further reading
• Struwe L, Albert VA, eds. (2002). Gentianaceae. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80999-3.
• "Gentian Research Network".
External links
• "Gentian" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
• "Gentian" . New International Encyclopedia. 1906.