WorldFloraDB - Gentiana lutea

Characteristics

A herb which keeps growing from year to year. It forms clumps. It has fleshy roots. The stems are stout and hollow. It grows 1.5 m tall. The leaves are broadly oval and pleated. They are 30 cm long. The flowers are star shaped and in rings in clusters. They are yellow.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

barochory

Mature width (meter)

0.55 - 0.8

Mature height (meter)

1.2 - 1.35

Root system

rhizome

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in mountain locations that are sunny but not too hot. It needs moist conditions and a deep, humus-rich soil. It can tolerate frost.

More

Grassy alpine and sub-alpine pastures, usually on calcareous soils.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The roots are used to make bitter liqueur. They are used as an aromatic flavour in alcoholic drinks. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. It is also used to flavour pork, poultry and rice dishes.

Uses	environmental use food medicinal seasoning
Edible	rhizomes roots
Therapeutic use	Amenorrhea (rhizome), Antidotes (rhizome), Anti-inflammatory agents (rhizome), Antiparasitic agents (rhizome), Anuria (rhizome), Bites and stings (rhizome), Digestive system diseases (rhizome), Diuretics (rhizome), Dyspepsia (rhizome), Fatigue (rhizome), Gastrointestinal diseases (rhizome), Inflammation (rhizome), Inflammatory bowel diseases (rhizome), Liver failure (rhizome), Menstruation-inducing agents (rhizome), Pain (rhizome), General tonic for rejuvenation (rhizome), Scorpion stings (rhizome), Anti-inflammatory agents (root), Antiparasitic agents (root), Antipyretics (root), Appetite stimulants (root), Digestive system diseases (root), Dyspepsia (root), Gastrointestinal diseases (root), Inflammatory bowel diseases (root), Liver failure (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Smoking prevention (root), Stomach diseases (root), Apertif (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Gastric-Juice (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Blood (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. They do not transplant easily so should be sown where they are to grow.

Mode	cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days)	14 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°)	17 - 21
Germination luminosity	dark
Germination treatment	stratification
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-