Dictionary:

gentian

  (jĕn'shən)

1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Gentiana, characteristically having showy, variously colored flowers.
2. The dried rhizome and roots of a yellow-flowered European gentian, G. lutea, sometimes used as a tonic.

[Middle English gencian, from Old French genciane, from Latin gentiāna, perhaps after Gentius, second-century B.C. king of Illyria.]

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The dried rhizome and roots of Gentiana lutea; has been used as a bitter tonic.

• g. violet — an antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic dye, derived from triphenylmethane; applied topically in the treatment of infections of the skin and mucous membranes associated with gram-positive bacteria and molds, and at one time administered orally for the treatment of pinworm and liver fluke infections in humans. Called also crystal violet, methylrosaniline chloride.

Gentian
Gentiana verna
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Gentianaceae Genus: Gentiana L.
Species
See text.

For the cultivated flower known as a Gentian or Tulip Gentian see Eustoma. For the saint of this name, see Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian.

Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. This a large genus, with about 400 species.

Gentiana frigida

This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring in alpine habitats of temperate regions of Asia, Europe and the Americas. Some species also occur in northwest Africa, eastern Australia and New Zealand. They consist of annual, biennial and perennial plants. Some are evergreen, others are not.

Their leaves are arranged in an opposite way. Most of them belong to a basal rosette. Gentians have trumpet-shaped flowers which are usually deep blue or azure, but may vary from white, creamy and yellow to red. Blue-flowered species predominate in the Northern Hemisphere, and red in the Andes; white-flowered species are scattered but dominate in New Zealand. These terminal tubular flowers are mostly pentamerous, i.e. with 5 corolla lobes (petals), and 5 sepals, but 4-7 in some species. The style is rather short or absent. The corolla shows folds (= plicae) between the lobes. The ovary is mostly sessile and has nectary glands.

Gentians are fully hardy and like full sun or partial shade, and neutral to acid soil that is rich in humus and well drained. They are popular in rock gardens.

According to Pliny the Elder, Gentian is an eponym of Gentius (180-168 BC), the King of Illyria, said to have discovered its healing properties. Some species are of medicinal use and their roots were harvested for the manufacture of tonic liquor, for instance in France "Suze" or similar liquors. Gentian is also used as a flavouring, for example in bitters, and the soft drink "Moxie" which contains "Gentian Root Extractives".

Species

Gentiana acaulis ('Stemless Gentian') Gentiana affinis ('Pleated Gentian') Gentiana alba ('Plain Gentian') Gentiana algida ('Whitish Gentian') Gentiana alpina ('Alpine Gentian') Gentiana altaica ('Altai Gentian') Gentiana amoena Gentiana andrewsii ('Closed bottle Gentian') Gentiana angustifolia Gentiana asclepiadea ('Willow Gentian') Gentiana austromontana ('Appalachian Gentian') Gentiana autumnalis ('Pinebarren Gentian') Gentiana bavarica ('Bavarian Gentian') Gentiana bellidifolia Gentiana boryi Gentiana brachyphylla Gentiana bulleyana Gentiana burseri Gentiana cachemirica Gentiana calycosa ('Rainier Pleated Gentian') Gentiana catesbaei ('Elliott's Gentian') Gentiana cephalantha Gentiana cerina Gentiana clausa ('Bottled Gentian') Gentiana clusii ('Trumpet Gentian') Gentiana crassicaulis Gentiana crinita ('Fringed Gentian') Gentiana cruciata ('Cross Gentian') Gentiana dahurica Gentiana decora ('Showy Gentian') Gentiana decumbens Gentiana dendrologii Gentiana depressa Gentiana dinarica Gentiana douglasiana ('Swamp Gentian') Gentiana elwesii Gentiana farreri Gentiana fetisowii Gentiana flavida ('Pale Gentian') Gentiana freyniana Gentiana frigida Gentiana froelichii Gentiana fremontii ('Moss Gentian') Gentiana gelida Gentiana gilvo-striata Gentiana glauca ('Pale Gentian') Gentiana gracilipes Gentiana grombczewskii Gentiana heterosepala ('Autumn Gentian') Gentiana hexaphylla Gentiana kesselringii Gentiana kurroo Gentiana lawrencii Gentiana lhassica Gentiana linearis ('Narrowleaf Gentian') Gentiana loderi Gentiana lutea ('Great Yellow Gentian') Gentiana macrophylla ('Bigleaf Gentian') Gentiana makinoi Gentiana microdonta Gentiana newberryi ('Newberry's Gentian') Gentiana nipponica Gentiana nivalis ('Snow Gentian')

Gentiana nubigena Gentiana nutans ('Tundra Gentian') Gentiana ochroleuca Gentiana olivieri Gentiana ornata Gentiana pannonica ('Brown Gentian') Gentiana paradoxa Gentiana parryi ('Parry's Gentian') Gentiana patula Gentiana pennelliana ('Wiregrass Gentian') Gentiana phyllocalyx Gentiana platypetala ('Broadpetal Gentian') Gentiana plurisetosa ('Bristly Gentian') Gentiana pneumonanthe ('Marsh Gentian') Gentiana prolata Gentiana prostrata ('Pygmy Gentian') Gentiana przewalskii Gentiana pterocalyx Gentiana puberulenta ('Downy Gentian') Gentiana pumila Gentiana punctata ('Spotted Gentian') Gentiana purpurea ('Purple Gentian') Gentiana pyrenaica Gentiana quadrifolia Gentiana rigescens Gentiana rostanii Gentiana rubricaulis ('Closed Gentian') Gentiana saponaria ('Harvestbells Gentian') Gentiana saxosa Gentiana scabra Gentiana scarlatina Gentiana sceptrum ('King's scepter Gentian') Gentiana septemfida ('Crested Gentian') Gentiana setigera ('Mendocino Gentian') Gentiana setulifolia Gentiana sikkimensis Gentiana sikokiana Gentiana sino-ornata Gentiana siphonantha Gentiana speciosa Gentiana squarrosa Gentiana stictantha Gentiana stragulata Gentiana straminea Gentiana tenuifolia Gentiana terglouensis ('Triglav Gentian') Gentiana ternifolia Gentiana tianshanica ('Tienshan Gentian') Gentiana trichotoma Gentiana triflora Gentiana trinervis Gentiana tubiflora Gentiana utriculosa ('Bladder Gentian') Gentiana veitchiorum Gentiana venusta Gentiana verna ('Spring Gentian') Gentiana villosa ('Striped Gentian') Gentiana waltonii Gentiana wutaiensis Gentiana yakushimensis Gentiana zollingeri

Northern Gentian (Gentiana amarella) Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) Rainier Pleated Gentian (Gentiana calycosa) Great Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea) Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe)

Milkweed Gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea) Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa) Rainier Pleated Gentian (Gentiana calycosa) Parry's Gentian (Gentiana parryi) Crested Gentian (Gentiana septemfida) Spring Gentian (Gentiana verna) Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gentiana

References

• Lena Struwe (Editor), Victor A. Albert (Editor), Gentianaceae , Cambridge University Press, 2002; ISBN 0521809991
• Gentian Research Network
• Medical Benefits of Gentian

Gentian in Culture

• Gentian is mentioned in the ninth of Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies.
• "Bavarian Gentians" is the name of a poem by D. H. Lawrence.
• It is mentioned multiple times in Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow. Also, a character in the book is named Enzian, which is the German term for Gentian.
• Gentian root is a major flavor component in New England's regionally popular soft drink Moxie.
• Poet William Cullen Bryant has a poem entitled "To the Fringed Gentian."hsb:Baltiski hórkowc

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - gentiana, ensian

idioms:

• gentian bitter    ensianbrændevin
• gentian violet    en farveblanding

Nederlands (Dutch)
gentiaan

Français (French)
n. - (Bot) gentiane

idioms:

• gentian bitter    gentiane amère
• gentian violet    bleu de méthylène

Deutsch (German)
n. - (bot.) Enzian

idioms:

• gentian bitter    Enziantinktur
• gentian violet    Enzianblau

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) γεντιανή, (μτφ.) έντονο μπλε χρώμα

idioms:

• gentian bitter    (χημ.) γεντιοπικρίνη
• gentian violet    έντονο μπλε χρώμα

Italiano (Italian)
genziana

idioms:

• gentian bitter    amaro alla genziana
• gentian violet    antisettico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - genciana (f) (Bot.) (Farm.)

idioms:

• gentian bitter    genciana amarga
• gentian violet    violeta (f) genciana fenicada (Farm.)

Русский (Russian)
горечавка (растение)

idioms:

• gentian bitter    настой горечавки
• gentian violet    фиолетовый экстракт, использующийся как антисептик

Español (Spanish)
n. - genciana

idioms:

• gentian bitter    licor extraído de la raíz de la genciana
• gentian violet    violeta de genciana

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gentiana (bot.)

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
龙胆属的植物, 龙胆根

idioms:

• gentian bitter    龙胆健胃剂
• gentian violet    龙胆紫, 甲基紫

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 龍膽屬的植物, 龍膽根

idioms:

• gentian bitter    龍膽健胃劑
• gentian violet    龍膽紫, 甲基紫

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 용담속

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - リンドウ, 竜胆

idioms:

• gentian bitter    ゲンチアナの苦味液
• gentian violet    ゲンチアナバイオレット

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الجنطيانا ( عشبه)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ערבז (צמח בר בעל פרחים כחולים/סגולים)‬

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