Common Name:

General Information

Gentiana cruciata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a stout rootstock; it produces a basal rosette of leaves and a clump of erect to ascending stems around 20 - 50cm tall, occasionally reaching 70cm[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Gentiana cruciata is a rare plant found in low densities and has low regeneration potential. It grows predominantly on grazed or managed nutrient-poor calcareous grassland, a habitat that has become increasingly fragmented as a result of land use and management practices. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation through lack of adequate management and is also collected in the wild for medicinal use. It is currently threatened in 9 of the 30 countries where it is present in Europe, and 7 out of 19 EU Member states, though it is protected or its collection from the wild regulated by law in several countries. Athough both the species and its habitat are declining, Gentiana cruciata remains a widespread species throughout Europe. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Europe to western Asia - Finland to the Baltic States, Germany, France and Spain, east to western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Iran

Habitat

Semi natural habitats such as extensively managed, grazed or mown and nutrient-poor calcareous grassland, dry grassy habitats, abandoned pastures, Pannonic meadow steppes, fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation; elevations up to 2,900 metres[]

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Bumblebees, Butterflies, Hoverflies
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Gentiana cruciata is native to mountainous regions in the temperate zone of Europe and western Asia, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,900 metres. A very cold-tolerant plant, when fully dormant it can withstand temperatures down to about -25°c[, ].
In general, gentians require a moist well-drained soil in a sheltered position, a certain minimum of atmospheric humidity, high light intensity but a site where temperatures are not too high[]. They are therefore more difficult to grow in areas with hot summers and in such a region they appreciate some protection from the strongest sunlight[, ]. Most species will grow well in the rock garden[]. This species is found mainly on lime-rich soils in the wild[], it is said to be easily grown in any good garden soil, preferring drier conditions than most other members of the genus[, ].
A moisture loving plant, preferring to grow with full exposure to the sun but with plenty of underground moisture in the summer, it grows better in the north and west of Britain[].
The plant is self compatible, but produces very few seeds in the absence of pollinators such as bees, hoverflies and butterflies[].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance[].

Edible Uses

The root has an intensely bitter flavour and this is one of several Gentian species (Gentiana lutea is the most commonly used) that can used in the manufacture of bitter liqueurs, known as gentian bitters or gentian brandy. These liqueurs stimulate the flow of bile and improve digestion. They are used as appetizers, or are drunk when eating heavy, fatty foods in order to aid digestion. They are also used to flavour rice dishes[].
The roots have been used for their stomachic and sedative effects[].

Medicinal

Gentiana cruciata is traditionally used in the treatment of epigastric pains; rabies and plague; as an anti-febrile and anthelmintic; for wound healing; rheumatoid arthritis and gout; and early chlorosis[].
Applied topically, it is used to treat purulent wounds[].

The root is appetizer, bitter tonic, digestive, febrifuge and stomachic[, ]. It is used in the treatment of hoarseness and sore throats[]. A decoction of the root is used to treat diseases of the stomach, malaria, haemorrhoids, and infertility. It is also used as a haemostatic[]

The leaves are used in the treatment of liver, gallbladder, and stomach ailments[, ].

The root is a possible substitute for gentian root[], though the report is not clear enough on this point[]. Listed below are the uses of Gentiana lutea, the most widely used gentian root.

Gentian root has a long history of use as a herbal bitter in the treatment of digestive disorders and is an ingredient of many proprietary medicines. It contains some of the most bitter compounds known and is used as a scientific basis for measuring bitterness[]. It is especially useful in states of exhaustion from chronic disease and in all cases of debility, weakness of the digestive system and lack of appetite[]. It is one of the best strengtheners of the human system, stimulating the liver, gall bladder and digestive system[], and is an excellent tonic to combine with a purgative in order to prevent its debilitating effects[]. The root is anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bitter tonic, cholagogue, emmenagogue, febrifuge, refrigerant, stomachic[, , , , , , ]. It is taken internally in the treatment of liver complaints, indigestion, gastric infections and anorexia[]. It should not be prescribed for patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers[]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[]. It is quite likely that the roots of plants that have not flowered are the richest in medicinal properties[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[]. It can also be sown in late winter or early spring but the seed germinates best if given a period of cold stratification and quickly loses viability when stored, with older seed germinating slowly and erratically[, ]. It is advantageous to keep the seed at about 10°c for a few days after sowing, to enable the seed to imbibe moisture[]. Following this with a period of at least 5 - 6 weeks with temperatures falling to between 0 and -5°c will usually produce reasonable germination[]. It is best to use clay pots, since plastic ones do not drain so freely and the moister conditions encourage the growth of moss, which will prevent germination of the seed[]. The seed should be surface-sown, or only covered with a very light dressing of compost. The seed requires dark for germination, so the pots should be covered with something like newspaper or be kept in the dark until germination begins[]. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. The seedlings grow on very slowly, taking 2 - 7 years to reach flowering size[]. When the plants are of sufficient size, place them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in early spring[, ].
Cuttings of basal shoots in late spring[].