Gentiana lutea

Yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea)

The yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea ) is a plant that belongs to the genus gentians (Gentiana ).

Description

The Yellow Gentian is a gray-green, vigorous, perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 50 to 150 centimeters. The plant grows very slowly and flowers only ten years old, but can be 40 to 60 years old. As Überdauerungsorgan strong until armdickes rhizome is formed. The primary root has on older plants lengths of up to 1 meter and diameter of 3 to 5 centimeters. The aboveground plant parts are hairs ( trichomes ) something shiny. Initially, a basal leaf rosette. The decussate arranged leaves are simple, up to 30 cm long, 15 cm wide, sessile at the top and at the bottom of short -stalked. The leaf blades are ovate to elliptic provided with five to seven strong, arched nerves.

In the axils of the bracts are three to ten flowers together in trugdoldigen partial inflorescences. The long -stalked flowers are fünfzählig. The flowers are made ​​very easy compared to other types of gentian. The five membranous sepals are pale yellow. The five petals are fused only at their base and golden yellow. The nectar is presented openly. The stamens are nearly as long as the petals with large anthers. On the superior ovaries sits a short stylus, which ends in a two-piece scar. The flowering period extends from June to August.

The up to 6 cm long capsule fruit contains up to 100 seeds. The seeds weigh only about 0,001 g and are spread by the wind. Each plant produces about 10,000 seeds.

Ecology

The Yellow Gentian is a Geophyt or Hemikryptophyt. The intergrown leaf sheaths form cisterns. In the water-filled " cisterns " live small animals, which presumably provide additional nutrient salts available after its decay of the plant. The perennial, fleshy thickened storage roots can be up to 60 years old and then armdick and meter long.

The yellow flowers are carotenoids by " nectar leading disk flowers " by various insects, such as are pollinated by flies and bumblebees. Also, self-pollination is possible. The Blühreife of the plant is reached only from about the 10th year. The flowering period extends from June to August.

The fruits are loculicidal capsules that release the seeds as wind spreader. The winged seeds propagate as glider pilots and Adhäsionshafter. Each capsule fruit contains up to 100 seeds, which weigh only about 0.001 g. Each plant produces about 10,000 seeds. Fruit ripening is from September to October. The seeds are light and cold to germinate.

Occurrence

The Yellow Gentian is widespread in the Alps and other mountain ranges of central and southern Europe, for example, in the Black Forest on the Feldberg. The Yellow Gentian is kalkliebend and preferably willow, block and Karflure from the valley up to a height of 2500 m above sea level. NN, which at times are at least moist and loose.

Use

This uses the underground plant parts. As a drug, gentian root, Gentiana radix, are the dried, crushed, underground plant parts. They are rich in sugars (eg gentiobiose ) and bitter substances ( Gentianopicrin and amarogentin ). The bitter substances actually serve as a protection against being eaten by animals. Medically, the drug is used as bittering agents, eg as appetizing bitters, aperitifs and spirits (eg, gentian and Suze ). The Yellow Gentian is also used as an antipyretic; However, the effectiveness against fever could not be detected. It is obtained that bitter and stimulating digestive tonic. It is used for fatigue, underweight, anemia and loss of appetite during convalescence. In folk medicine it is used against fever, gout, hypochondria, malaria and intestinal parasites.

In addition, Gentiana lutea is also used as an active ingredient in homeopathic medicines. However, the effect ascribed is not scientifically confirmed.

For the preparation of gentian brandy especially Gentiana lutea is used and specifically cultivated, rarely the other high-growing species, such as Gentiana punctata, since it has the highest content of bitter substances from all types of gentian. An extract still tastes distinctly bitter in an aqueous dilution of 1:200,000.

Others

Gentiana lutea is protected. Not blooming Yellow Gentian is easy to be confused with the White Hellebore, whose leaves are arranged in three lines but alternate.

On October 15, appeared in 1975 as part of the issued annually by the German Federal Post Office Wohlfahrtsmarken a picture of the Yellow Gentian as a motif ( Michel-Nr. 510).

Swell

• Thomas Schöpke: gentian root - Gentiana radix of medicinal plant encyclopedia of the Institute of Pharmacy, Ernst- Moritz- Arndt- University of Greifswald.
• Xaver Finkenzeller: alpine flowers. Munich 2003, ISBN 3-576-11482-3
• Ruprecht Duell and Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany. 2005, ISBN 3-494-01397-7
• Wendelberger: Alpine plants - flowers, grasses, Zwergstäucher, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-7632-2975-2
• Blv: The BLV manual medicinal plants, ISBN 978-3-8354-0144-0
• (Gentiana lutea) Yellow Gentian as a medicinal plant.
• R. Duell / H. Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany and neighboring countries, 7th Edition, Quelle & Meyer Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1