Common Name:

General Information

Gentiana straminea is a herbaceous perennial plant forming a tuft or small clump of growth; it has basal rosettes of leaves and stout, unbranched, ascending stems around 10 - 35cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - northern and central China to the Himalayas, Nepal.

Habitat

Along streams, valleys, rocky slopes, alpine meadows, scrub, forests, clearings in forests; at elevations from 2,000 - 5,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bumblebees, butterFlies
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Gentiana straminea is native to mountainous regions in the temperate zone of China and northern India, where it can be found at elevations up to 5,000 metres. A very cold-tolerant plant, when fully dormant it can withstand temperatures down to about -25°c[].
Gentiana species generally grow best when there is ample moisture to the roots in the growing season, but they also require very good drainage[]. Often being native to mountainous regions, they require a certain minimum of atmospheric humidity; a high light intensity; but also a site where temperatures are not too high in the growing season[]. 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 is an easily grown species[].
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[].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The roots of gentian species contain some of the most bitter compounds known and make an excellent tonic for the whole digestive system, working especially on the stomach, liver and gall bladder[].
The root is analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antirheumatic, diuretic, febrifuge, hypoglycaemic and hypotensive[, ]. The root is used internally in the treatment of arthritis, allergic inflammations, low-grade fever in chronic diseases, jaundice and hepatitis[, ]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.

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[]. Most members of this genus have either a single tap-root, or a compact root system united in a single root head, and are thus unsuitable for division[].
Cuttings of basal shoots in late spring[].