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Gentiana
Also called Gentians
Gentians are a large genus of mostly alpine perennials, annuals and biennials, prized for their trumpet-shaped flowers, often an intense blue. Most are hard to grow, so the key is cool, moist, rich, free-draining soil and full sun or partial shade.
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, though some are also bright yellow. The type species of the genus is Gentiana lutea.
The genus name is a tribute to Gentius, an Illyrian king who may have discovered tonic properties in gentians.
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:
In addition, the following cultivars, of mixed or uncertain parentage, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
Gentian 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.
Gentian is used in the manufacture of distilled beverage beverages
Gentian · Willow Gentian · Bottle gentian · Trumpet Gentian · Gentiana loureiroi · Great Yellow Gentian · Snow gentian · Hungarian Gentian · Gentiana paradoxa · Crested gentian · Showy Chinese Gentian
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Gentiana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
