Gentian is a low grass with amazing blue, blue, yellow and purple flowers. Bright petals reflect all the shades that are found in the sky. In addition, gentian is a medicinal plant recognized in folk and official medicine. To make such an unpretentious and useful plant in your own garden is a must. Moreover, in many countries it is listed in the Red Book. Gentian got its name for a very bitter taste. The plant belongs to the family Gentian. In the genus, there are more than three hundred species that are distributed almost throughout the planet. You will not meet the gentian unless in Antarctica and Africa.
Botanical Description
Gentian is represented by perennial and annual plants. It is nourished by a fairly thick and short rod rhizome. Cord-shaped processes extend from it deep into the soil. The flower may take the form of a shrub or grass. The height of the shoots is only 5-15 cm, although there are varieties up to 1.5 m high. On stiff, short stems, opposite sessile leaves are located. Leaf plates are usually painted dark green. They have a lanceolate or oval shape with a solid lateral edge and a pointed end.
At the top of the stem from the axils of the leaves, single flowers or inflorescences bloom. Depending on the species, they may appear in early spring or early fall. The corolla of the flower resembles a bell and has an elongated tube. The edges of thin petals are bent to the sides and repeat the shape of a symmetrical five-pointed star. The flowers of most gentians are painted in various shades of blue, and also have a purple, yellow or white color.
Pollination is produced by insects, which also collect pollen, because gentian is a good honey plant. The fruit is a small seed box containing many small seeds.
Healing properties
Gentian rhizome and shoots contain many alkaloids, glycosides and other biologically active substances. Thanks to this, the plant has long been used in folk medicine, and is also used for the preparation of pharmaceuticals. Gentian decoctions and preparations have a high choleretic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, stimulating effect.
Gentian is used to combat such ailments as:
- cough;
- cramps
- arthritis;
- scurvy;
- diarrhea;
- flatulence;
- anemia;
- fever.
It is important not to abuse gentian medicines. Overdose leads to increased pressure, excitability, dizziness.
Plant species
In the genus gentian registered 359 species. About 90 of them are used in culture. The most famous are the following types:
Gentian is yellow. A large plant up to 1.5 m tall has an upright stalk. Its base is framed by a basal rosette of large oval leaves. Foliage along the stem is more modest in size. Numerous yellow flowers are collected in axillary inflorescences of the upper third of the stem. Flowering occurs in the second half of summer. Each bud about 25 mm long consists of pointed petals. Flowering lasts up to 50 days.
Gentian pulmonary (normal). The plant has an upright, slightly branched stem 25-50 cm long. Linear or lanceolate-linear leaves are located at the base and rarely along the entire length of the shoot. The length of the leaf plate is 3-7 cm. Axillary flowers are grouped at the top of the stem. The bell-shaped nimbus 1.5-2 cm long consists of pointed petals. They are painted in a deep dark blue color, on the inner surface at the base there are subtle green touches. It blooms in July-August.
Daurian gentian. The species has softer, upright or lodging shoots 25-40 cm long. They are covered with long light green foliage. Large dark blue flowers gather in small apical inflorescences. They bloom in July and bloom until the end of August. The plant can be used for cutting and forming bouquets.
Gentian cross-shaped (cross-leaved). The plant has a thickened stem root and an upright stalk up to 50 cm long. It is densely covered with long foliage. Small bell-shaped flowers inside are turquoise. Outside, gray-green hues prevail on the petals. Flowering occurs in the second half of summer.
Gentian gentian. On an upright stalk up to 80 cm high, there are egg-shaped leaves with a pointed edge. Their length is 6-9 cm. In the axils of the upper leaves on the peduncles are large single flowers. Their length reaches 5 cm. The corolla consists of blue-violet or white petals, collected in a narrow cup. The buds open from the end of August.
Large-leaved gentian. The plant consists of stiff erect or drooping stems 40-70 cm long. Leaves gather at the base and rare internodes. Oval leaf plates can reach 20-40 cm in length and 18-30 cm in width. Flowers are collected in dense inflorescences with apical leaves. The length of the blue-violet bells is 1.5-2 cm. The edges of the petals are pointed. It blooms in July-August.
Gentian stemless (Koch). A miniature alpine variety with a height of not more than 10 cm is particularly attractive. Oval leaves of bright green color are collected in basal rosettes. Large tubular flowers of blue, blue or white color bloom above them from the end of spring. Flowering is very plentiful. It begins in early May and lasts up to 1.5 months.
Gentian is seven-parted. This unpretentious variety grows with a wide shrub up to 30 cm high. Flowers with purple-blue petals bloom above weakly leafy shoots. The diameter of the bell is 5-7 cm. It blooms in mid-June.
Breeding methods
Gentian reproduction can be carried out by seed and vegetative methods. Seeds remain viable for 6-12 months. Before landing, cold stratification is necessary. Seeds are placed in a cool place with an air temperature of no more than + 7 ° C. For heat-loving varieties, one month is enough, alpine varieties will need stratification for 2-3 months. During this period, the seeds should be in sandy peat soil. You can sow them in the fall in the open ground, but do not bury them in the ground, but just push them. After stratification, the seeds are sown in moist soil and kept at a temperature of + 20 ° C. Shoots appear in 15-20 days.
In early spring, overgrown bushes can be divided into several parts. The procedure should be carried out very carefully, as the gentian does not tolerate the transplant. It is important to keep an earthen room. New plants are carefully transplanted to a new place. After transplanting, it is necessary to water the seedlings abundantly.
Some varieties of gentian lend themselves to cuttings. In spring, it is necessary to cut off the top of the stem or lateral process with 1-2 internodes. Rooting is done in water or sandy peat soil. The process can take up to a month. During this period, the stalk should be watered with caution. So that moisture evaporates less, it is covered with a glass jar or bag. It is important to ventilate the plant daily. With the advent of roots, seedlings are placed in a permanent place in the garden.
Care Rules
Gentian in nature is a hardy plant, ready to adapt to harsh conditions. Alas, in culture it is more moody. The genus combines varieties with different habitats, and therefore they need different care.
Lighting. Gentians prefer plots under the open sun (sevenfold, daurian, cruciform, yellow) or in a small shadow (crotch). Deep shadow is contraindicated for all plants.
Temperature. The bushes are adapted to temperate climates and frosty winters, so they do not need additional shelter. They normally tolerate frost and summer heat.
The soil. Gentian prefers light, well-drained soils with moderate fertility. For it, sandy or loamy soils with the addition of small stones are suitable. Neutral acidity is preferred. Yellow and stemless gentian need additional mulching with limestone. Regardless of the type, stagnation of water is unacceptable.
Watering. Plants need regular watering. During a period of drought, daily irrigation of small quantities of liquid may be necessary.
Fertilizer. From May to August, the gentian is recommended to be fertilized monthly with a half portion of mineral fertilizers. Use compositions for flowering garden plants. If the soil is fertile enough, you can do without fertilizing.
Gentian in the garden
Gentian is good in rocky areas and in rockeries. So she looks the most natural. It is advisable to use group landings, then a solid carpet will cover the allotted territory. He will delight in sapphire shades, which are rarely found in nature.
In the flower garden, tall plants are used in central positions, and low-growing species in the foreground. In the neighborhood with them should be placed flowering or ornamental plants that do not grow too much. It can be sage, sedge, bells. You can plant gentian in front of coniferous and deciduous shrubs. The proximity to medium-sized cereal crops is also spectacular.
