Gentian Root

''Gentiana'' () is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With over 300 species, it is considered a large genus. Gentians are notable for their mostly large trumpet-shaped flowers, which are often of an intense blue hue.

The genus name is a tribute to Gentius, an Illyrian king who may have discovered tonic properties in gentians.

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 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.

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. Americano apéritifs contain gentian root for bitter flavoring. It is an ingredient in the Italian liqueur Aperol. It is also used as the main flavor in the German after-dinner digestif called Underberg, and the main ingredient in Angostura bitters and Peychaud's Bitters.

The principal bitter component of gentian root is gentiopicrin (also called gentiopicroside), a glycoside. A 2007 paper by a Japanese group identified 23 compounds in fresh gentian root. Gentiopicrin was absent from the fresh root, so it possibly developed during drying and storage of the root.

Gentian has had limited use in perfumery, most notably as a glycerine soap (Crabtree & Evelyn) and a perfume (Corday's Possession, 1937).

The young plant and old leaves of at least one species, ''Gentiana scabra'', are edible when cooked and have historically been used as a famine food when other food sources were scarce.

Pharmacological uses

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. Gentian has been shown to manage dyspepsia by eliciting cephalic responses that increase vascular resistance and reduce the workload of the heart during digestion.

''Gentiana punctata'' leaves and roots have been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally and externally as liqueur or tea for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, locomotor system, liver, and bile, and for pediatric problems, fever, flu, rheumatism, and gout.

'' Gentiana purpurea'', ''Gentiana punctata'', and ''Gentiana pannonica'' are used to produce gentian schnapps, traditionally used as a digestive aid. In Ayurvedic medicine the endangered Indian gentian '' Gentiana kurroo'' has been used as a medical herb, but has been replaced with the Himalayan plant ''Picrorhiza kurroa,'' or ''Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora'' from traditional Chinese medicine.

Symbolism

The gentian flower was used as the emblem of the Minamoto clan, one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period and went on to establish the first Shogunate in the aftermath of the Genpei War. It is the official flower (called ) of the German-speaking community of Belgium.

Species

General

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 concerning 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.

List of accepted species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Gentiana'':

*''Gentiana acaulis'' – stemless gentian
*'' Gentiana affinis'' – pleated gentian
*'' Gentiana alba'' – pleated gentian
*'' Gentiana albescens''
*'' Gentiana albicalyx''
*''Gentiana algida'' – whitish gentian
*'' Gentiana alii''
*''Gentiana alpina'' – alpine gentian
*'' Gentiana alsinoides''
*'' Gentiana altigena''
*'' Gentiana altorum''
*'' Gentiana × ambigua''
*'' Gentiana amplicrater''
*''Gentiana andrewsii'' – closed bottle gentian
*'' Gentiana angustifolia''
*'' Gentiana anisostemon''
*'' Gentiana aperta''
*'' Gentiana apiata''
*'' Gentiana aquatica''
*'' Gentiana arenicola''
*'' Gentiana arethusae''
*'' Gentiana argentea''
*'' Gentiana arisanensis''
*'' Gentiana aristata''
*''Gentiana arunii''
*''Gentiana asclepiadea'' – willow gentian
*'' Gentiana asterocalyx''
*'' Gentiana atlantica''
*'' Gentiana atuntsiensis''
*'' Gentiana austromontana'' – Appalachian gentian
*'' Gentiana autumnalis'' – pinebarren gentian
*'' Gentiana baeuerlenii'' - N.S.W
*'' Gentiana bambuseti''
*''Gentiana bavarica'' – Bavarian gentian
*'' Gentiana beamanii''
*'' Gentiana bella''
*''Gentiana bicentenaria''
*'' Gentiana bicuspidata''
*'' Gentiana × billingtonii''
*'' Gentiana boissieri''
*'' Gentiana bokorensis''
*''Gentiana bolavenensis''
*'' Gentiana borneensis''
*'' Gentiana boryi''
*'' Gentiana brachyphylla''
*'' Gentiana bredboensis'' - N.S.W
*''Gentiana brentae''
*'' Gentiana bryoides''
*'' Gentiana burseri''
*'' Gentiana cachemirica''
*'' Gentiana caelestis''
*'' Gentiana caeruleogrisea''
*'' Gentiana caliculata''
*'' Gentiana calycosa'' – Rainier pleated gentian
*'' Gentiana capitata''
*'' Gentiana carinata''
*'' Gentiana carinicostata''
*'' Gentiana catesbaei'' – Elliott's gentian
*'' Gentiana cephalantha''
*'' Gentiana cephalodes''
*'' Gentiana × charpentieri''
*'' Gentiana chinensis''
*'' Gentiana choanantha''
*'' Gentiana chungtienensis''
*'' Gentiana clarkei''
*'' Gentiana clausa'' – bottled gentian
*''Gentiana clusii'' – trumpet gentian
*'' Gentiana confertifolia''
*''Gentiana coronata''
*'' Gentiana crassa''
*'' Gentiana crassicaulis''
*'' Gentiana crassula''
*'' Gentiana crassuloides''
*'' Gentiana cristata''
*''Gentiana cruciata'' – cross gentian
*'' Gentiana cruttwellii''
*'' Gentiana cuneibarba''
*'' Gentiana × curtisii''
*'' Gentiana dahurica''
*''Gentiana davidi''
*'' Gentiana decemfida''
*'' Gentiana decora'' – showy gentian
*'' Gentiana decumbens''
*'' Gentiana delavayi''
*'' Gentiana deltoidea''
*''Gentiana dendrologi''
*'' Gentiana densiflora''
*''Gentiana depressa''
*'' Gentiana × digenea''
*'' Gentiana divaricata''
*'' Gentiana diversifolia''
*'' Gentiana douglasiana'' – swamp gentian
*'' Gentiana dschungarica''
*''Gentiana dshimilensis''
*'' Gentiana duclouxii''
*'' Gentiana durangensis''
*'' Gentiana ecaudata''
*'' Gentiana elmeriana''
*'' Gentiana elwesii''
*'' Gentiana emodi''
*'' Gentiana ettingshausenii''
*'' Gentiana exigua''
*'' Gentiana faucipilosa''
*'' Gentiana fieldiana''
*'' Gentiana filistyla''
*'' Gentiana flavomaculata''
*'' Gentiana flexicaulis''
*'' Gentiana formosa''
*'' Gentiana forrestii''
*'' Gentiana franchetiana''
*'' Gentiana fremontii'' – moss gentian
*'' Gentiana frigida''
*''Gentiana froelichii'' – Karawanken gentian
*'' Gentiana futtereri''
*'' Gentiana × gaudiniana''
*''Gentiana gayi''
*'' Gentiana gelida''
*'' Gentiana georgei''
*'' Gentiana gilvostriata''
*'' Gentiana glauca'' – pale gentian
*'' Gentiana grandiflora''
*'' Gentiana × grandilacustris''
*'' Gentiana grata''
*'' Gentiana × grisebachiana''
*'' Gentiana grumii''
*'' Gentiana gyirongensis''
*'' Gentiana handeliana''
*'' Gentiana haraldi-smithii''
*'' Gentiana harrowiana''
*'' Gentiana haynaldii''
*'' Gentiana heleonastes''
*'' Gentiana helophila''
*'' Gentiana hesseliana''
*'' Gentiana hexaphylla''
*'' Gentiana himalayensis''
*'' Gentiana hirsuta''
*'' Gentiana hohoxiliensis''
*'' Gentiana hooperi''
*''Gentiana hsinganica''
*'' Gentiana hugelii''
*'' Gentiana huxleyi''
*'' Gentiana × hybrida''
*'' Gentiana intricata''
*'' Gentiana jamesii''
*'' Gentiana jarmilae''
*'' Gentiana jingdongensis''
*'' Gentiana jouyana''
*'' Gentiana kaohsiungensis''
*'' Gentiana kauffmanniana''
*'' Gentiana khammouanensis''
*''Gentiana kirilowii''
*'' Gentiana kurroo''
*''Gentiana kurumbae''
*'' Gentiana lacerulata''
*''Gentiana laciniata''
*'' Gentiana × laengstii''
*'' Gentiana laevigata''
*'' Gentiana lagodechiana''
*'' Gentiana langbianensis''
*''Gentiana laotica''
*'' Gentiana lateriflora''
*''Gentiana latidens''
*''Gentiana lawrencei''
*'' Gentiana laxiflora''
*'' Gentiana leroyana''
*'' Gentiana leucomelaena''
*'' Gentiana lhassica''
*'' Gentiana liangshanensis''
*'' Gentiana licentii''
*'' Gentiana ligustica''
*'' Gentiana linearis'' – narrowleaf gentian
*'' Gentiana lineolata''
*'' Gentiana linoides''
*'' Gentiana loerzingii''
*'' Gentiana longicollis''
*'' Gentiana loureiroi''
*'' Gentiana lowryi''
*''Gentiana lutea''
*'' Gentiana lycopodioides''
*'' Gentiana macgregoryi''
*'' Gentiana macrophylla'' – bigleaf gentian
*''Gentiana maeulchanensis''
*''Gentiana mairei''
*'' Gentiana makinoi''
*'' Gentiana manshurica''
*'' Gentiana × marcailhouana''
*'' Gentiana × marceli-jouseaui''
*'' Gentiana × media''
*''Gentiana meiantha''
*''Gentiana melandriifolia''
*''Gentiana membranulifera''
*''Gentiana micans''
*''Gentiana micantiformis''
*''Gentiana micrantha''
*'' Gentiana microdonta''
*''Gentiana microphyta''
*''Gentiana mirandae''
*''Gentiana moniliformis''
*''Gentiana muscicola''
*''Gentiana myrioclada''
*''Gentiana namlaensis''
*''Gentiana nanobella''
*''Gentiana nerterifolia''
*'' Gentiana newberryi'' – Newberry's gentian
*'' Gentiana nipponica''
*''Gentiana nivalis'' – snow gentian
*'' Gentiana nubigena''
*''Gentiana nudicaulis''
*''Gentiana nyalamensis''
*''Gentiana obconica''
*'' Gentiana occidentalis'' - Pyrenean trumpoet gentian
*''Gentiana officinalis''
*'' Gentiana olgae''
*''Gentiana oligophylla''
*''Gentiana olivieri''
*''Gentiana oreocharis''
*''Gentiana oreodoxa''
*'' Gentiana ornata''
*''Gentiana ovatiloba''
*''Gentiana pachyphylla''
*'' Gentiana × pallidocyanea''
*''Gentiana pannonica'' – brown gentian
*''Gentiana panthaica''
*''Gentiana papillosa''
*'' Gentiana paradoxa''
*''Gentiana parryae''
*'' Gentiana parryi'' – Parry's gentian
*''Gentiana parvula''
*''Gentiana pedata''
*'' Gentiana pedicellata''
*'' Gentiana perpusilla''
*'' Gentiana phyllocalyx''
*''Gentiana piasezkii''
*''Gentiana picta''
*'' Gentiana platypetala'' – broadpetal gentian
*'' Gentiana plurisetosa'' – bristly gentian
*'' Gentiana pneumonanthe'' – marsh gentian
*''Gentiana praeclara''
*''Gentiana praticola''
*''Gentiana prattii''
*''Gentiana pringlei''
*'' Gentiana producta''
*'' Gentiana prolata''
*'' Gentiana prostrata'' – pygmy gentian
*''Gentiana pseudosquarrosa''
*'' Gentiana puberulenta'' – downy gentian
*''Gentiana pubigera''
*''Gentiana pulvinarum''
*'' Gentiana pumila''
*'' Gentiana pumilio''
*''Gentiana punctata'' – spotted gentian
*'' Gentiana purpurea'' – purple gentian
*'' Gentiana pyrenaica''
*''Gentiana qiujiangensis''
*''Gentiana quadrifaria''
*''Gentiana querceticola''
*''Gentiana radiata''
*''Gentiana radicans''
*''Gentiana ranae''
*''Gentiana recurvata''
*''Gentiana riparia''
*''Gentiana robusta''
*'' Gentiana rostanii''
*''Gentiana rubicunda''
*'' Gentiana rubricaulis'' – closed gentian
*''Gentiana sagarmathae''
*''Gentiana saginifolia''
*''Gentiana saginoides''
*''Gentiana saltuum''
*'' Gentiana saponaria'' – harvestbells gentian
*''Gentiana sasidharanii''
*''Gentiana satsunanensis''
*''Gentiana scabra''
*''Gentiana scabrida''
*'' Gentiana sceptrum'' – king's scepter gentian
*''Gentiana scytophylla''
*''Gentiana sedifolia''
*'' Gentiana septemfida'' – crested gentian
*''Gentiana setigera'' – Mendocino gentian
*''Gentiana shaanxiensis''
*''Gentiana sierrae''
*'' Gentiana sikkimensis''
*'' Gentiana sikokiana''
*''Gentiana simulatrix''
*'' Gentiana sino-ornata'' – showy Chinese gentian
*''Gentiana siphonantha''
*''Gentiana sirensis''
*''Gentiana spathacea''
*''Gentiana spathulifolia''
*''Gentiana spathulisepala''
*''Gentiana springateana''
*'' Gentiana squarrosa''
*''Gentiana stellata''
*''Gentiana stellulata''
*''Gentiana stipitata''
*'' Gentiana stragulata''
*'' Gentiana straminea''
*''Gentiana suborbisepala''
*''Gentiana subpolytrichoides''
*''Gentiana subuliformis''
*''Gentiana sumatrana''
*''Gentiana susamyrensis''
*''Gentiana susanneae''
*''Gentiana sutchuenensis''
*''Gentiana szechenyii''
*''Gentiana taiwanialbiflora''
*''Gentiana taiwanica''
*''Gentiana takushii''
*''Gentiana taliensis''
*''Gentiana tarokoensis''
*''Gentiana tatsienensis''
*'' Gentiana terglouensis'' – Triglav gentian
*''Gentiana ternifolia''
*''Gentiana tetraphylla''
*''Gentiana tetrasepala''
*''Gentiana tetrasticha''
*''Gentiana thunbergii''
*''Gentiana tibetica''
*''Gentiana timida''
*''Gentiana tongolensis''
*''Gentiana tonkinensis''
*''Gentiana tornezyana''
*'' Gentiana trichotoma''
*''Gentiana tricolor''
*'' Gentiana triflora''
*''Gentiana tubiflora''
*'' Gentiana ulmeri''
*'' Gentiana uniflora''
*'' Gentiana urnula''
*''Gentiana utriculosa'' – bladder gentian
*'' Gentiana vandellioides''
*'' Gentiana vandewateri''
*'' Gentiana veitchiorum''
*'' Gentiana venusta''
*''Gentiana verna'' – spring gentian
*'' Gentiana vernayi''
*'' Gentiana viatrix''
*'' Gentiana villosa'' – striped gentian
*''Gentiana vodopjanovae''
*'' Gentiana waltonii''
*'' Gentiana walujewii''
*'' Gentiana wangchukii''
*''Gentiana wardii''
*'' Gentiana wasenensis''
*'' Gentiana wilsonii''
*'' Gentiana winchuanensis''
*'' Gentiana wingecarribiensis'' - N.S.W.
*''Gentiana woodii''
*'' Gentiana xanthonannos''
*'' Gentiana yakushimensis''
*'' Gentiana yokusai''
*'' Gentiana yunnanensis''
*'' Gentiana zekuensis''
*''Gentiana zhenxiongensis''
*'' Gentiana zollingeri''

Formerly placed here

*'' Gentianopsis crinita'' (fringed gentian), as ''Gentiana crinita''

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''
* ''G. asclepiadea''
* ''G. paradoxa''
* ''G. septemfida''
* ''G. sino-ornata''

In addition, the following cultivars, of mixed or uncertain parentage, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
* 'Blue Silk'
*'Shot Silk'
*'Strathmore'

References

Further reading

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External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q144682

Gentianaceae genera
Flora of Europe
Flora of Northern America
Flora of temperate Asia
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus