GEN 



the fame roots not flowering two years together, or feldom 

 oftener than every third. When they flower ftrong, they 

 have, however, a fine appearance among other iimilar 

 plants. 



In refpcft to the kft fort it is mollly propagated by off- 

 fets or parting the roots, and planting them where they are 

 to remain in the early autumn ; but in order to have the plants 

 flower well, they {hould not be often tranfplanted or parted. 

 A'nd they are aifo capable of being raifed from feeds ma- 

 naged in the fame way as in the tirft kinds. 



All thefe plants fucceed the niofl pcrfeflly in nioil> 

 loamy foils, where there is adegrceof fhade afiordt:<l. 



They are ufeful as ornamental plants, for the clumps, bor- 

 ders, and quarters of pleafnre-grounds ; thofe of low 

 growth being planted towards the fronts, and the latter kinds 

 more backward in them. 



Gen-tiaxa, Gentian, in the Matci-ia Mrdicn. Tlie i-oot, 

 which is the only medicinal part of the plant, has little or 

 no fmcll, but to the tafte it mariifells great bitterneis ; a 

 quality which iscxtrafted by aqueous, fpirititous, and vinous 

 mcnllrua, though not in fo 'great a degree by water as by 

 fpirit; and the extract of this root, prepared from the 

 watery infufion, is lefs bitter than that made from the fpiri- 

 tuous tinfturc. Gentian is the principal bitter nov/ employ- 

 ed by phyficians ; and as the intcnfe bitters are generally ad- 

 mitted to be not only tonic and llomachic, but alfo anthel- 

 mintic, antifeptic, emmenagogue, antiarthritic, and febri- 

 fuge, this root has a better claim to the poflefTion of thefe 

 powers than mod of this kind. Many difpeptic complaints, 

 though arifmg from debility of the ftomach, are more effec- 

 tually relieved by bitters than by Peruvian bark ; and hence 

 ■may be inferred their fuperior tonic power on the organs of 

 digeftion ; but we are told by Dr. Cullen (Mat. Med. vol. ii.) 

 that the gentian, joined with equal parts of tormentil or 

 galls, conitantly fuccceded in curing interniittents, if given 

 in fuilicient quantity. As a fimple bitter the gentian is ren- 

 dered more grateful to the flomach by the addition of an aro- 

 matic : and for this purpofe orange-peel is commonly employ- 

 ed. The officinal preparations of this root are, the " in- 

 fufum gentians conipofitnm,"' and " tinftura gentians com- 

 pofita," (Ph. Lond.) and the '' infnfum amarum,'' " vinum 

 •amarum," " tinctura amara," five " elixir ftomachicum" 

 (Ph. Ed.) which latter is faid by Dr. Cullen to be the fame 

 as Stoughton's elixir, (fee Sioniai-/j/c Y^LWin) and by both 

 Pharmacopoeias the extraft is direfted. The " compound in- 

 fufion'' is prepared by taking gentian root diced and orange- 

 peel dried, of each a dram, of frefli lemon-peel two drams, 

 and boiling water twelve ounces ; and macerating for an 

 hour in a covered vcil'el, and then ilraining tlie liquor. 

 For the " tinfture," take of gentian root dried, two ounces, 

 orange-peel dried, an ounce, cardamom feed bruifed, half an 

 ounce, and proof fpirit two pints; macerate for four- 

 teen days, and ifrain. For the " extract,'' take of gentian- 

 root fliced, a pound, and boiling water, a gallon ; macerate 

 for twenty-four houi-s, then boil down to four pints; flram 

 the hot liquor, and evaporate it to a proper confiftence. 

 The extrafts are made in.to pills, with or \\ithout aix)matic 

 additions. Wines and malt liquors are likewife impregnated 

 with the virtues of this root in different proportions. An 

 ounce of the gentian root, the fame quantity of frefh le- 

 mon-peel, and two drams of long pepper, communicate by 

 maceration, without heat, a grateful warmth and bitternefs 

 to a quart of mountain. There is an Indian gentian brought 

 from America by the Portuguefe, of a pale yellovvifli colour, 

 jgintcd and marked with knots and circles like ipecacahuna, 



GEN 



more intenfely bitter than any of the ofRcinal bitter drugs. 

 This root is greatly commended in obllinate intermittents, 

 and other diforders ; a ieruple is faid to be more effeftual 

 tlian repeated half drams of bai'k. 



There was a mixture of henbase root brought over fome 

 years ago with the connnon gentian, which occafioned vio- 

 lent diforders, and in iome initances proved fatal. 



This root is of a paler colour than gentian, and its longi- 

 tudinal wrinkles liner and clofer ; the poifonous root, when 

 cnl, app'.-ars white, without any degree of the yellow hue, 

 wlijch is deep in gentian ; and its taile is not bitter, but mu- 

 cilaginous. Phil. Tranf. vol. xlv. p. 240. Leuis's Mat. 

 Med. WoodviUe's Mat. Med. 



Gentian Water. See Water. 



GENTIANiE, the forty-fixth natural order of plants in 

 Juflicu's fyftem, or the thirteen h of his eighth clafs, fo 

 named from the principal genus contained in it. The cha- 

 rafter of this eighth clafs is Cotyledons two. Flwzuers of fine 

 petal, inferted below the germen, regular or irrcrrular. Ca- 

 Ivx oi one leaf. Stamens of a definite- number, inierted into 

 th.e corolla, and ufually alternate with its divifions, when 

 they agree in number. Gcrmsn fuperior, fimple ; flyle one, 

 (fonietimes none in the jlpoctneee, with a double germen) ; 

 fligma fimple or divided. FruH fuperior, confiiling either 

 of naked feeds, or for the moft part enclofed, either in a 

 pidpy or a capiular feed-vefiel, of one or many cells. 



The charafters of the Gentlants are thefe. Calyx divided, 

 permanent. Corolla regular, often withering before it falls, 

 with a limb equally divided, whofe fegments agree in num- 

 ber with thofe of the calyx and are moft commonly live, 

 fometimes oblique. Stamens as many, inferted into the mid- 

 dle or upper part of the corolla ; anthers incumbent. Style 

 one, or rarely, by fplitting, double ; ftigma fimple orlobed. 

 Capfule fimple or of two parts, of two valves, and one or two 

 cells, the valves inflexed at the margin, involute where 

 there is but one cell, flat arid confUtuting the partition whert 

 there are two. ferij numerous, fmall, inferted into a mar- 

 ginal receptacle connected with the valves. Stem herba- 

 ceous, rarely fomewhat flirubby. Leaves oppofite, nioflly 

 undivided and feflile ; floral ones occafionally fmallcr, re- 

 fembling brafteas, the flowers in fuch cafe becoming, as it 

 were, doubly bratleated. — The firft fctfion has a fimple cap- 

 fule, of one cell, and contains Gent'iana, Lita of Schreber 

 (Vohirla of Aublct,) Pkrhim of Schreber (Cciitouleuoi Aw- 

 blet), Siuertia and Chlora ; the fecond, with a fimple cap- 

 fule of two cells, contains Exacum, Lifantki/s, Myrmecia of 

 Schreber [Tach'ia of Aiiblct), Ckironia and NIgrina ,■ the 

 third with a didymous or two-lobed caj-fule of two cells, 

 contains only Spigel'ta and Oph'iorrh'rza. In a fourth fcdtion 

 ftandsas a kintothis order,by itrelf,A''/r™fi'/-i!of Sch.-cbe^(Po- 

 to&of Aublet.) The plants of this natural order are chiefly 

 remarkable for their intenfe bitternefs, and confequent llo- 

 machic virtues. Their flowers are ufually beautiful, either 

 blue, yellow or red, fcarcely wliite, except by occafional 

 variation of the bhie or red. 



GENTIANELLA, in Gardening, the comn.on name of 

 the dwarf gentian, and which properly fignifies the link "Lil- 

 lian, which has a broad leaf and large flower. See Genua- 

 NA. 



GENTILE, Gentilis, a pagan, or perfon who adores 

 falfe gods. The Hebrews applied the name XZ.''''y' g''"tes, 

 nations, to all the people of the earth who were not Ifraelites 

 or Hebrews. 



Some will have it that the gentiles were thus called in con- 

 tradiltindion to the Jews, becaufe the latter lad a pofitive 



law 



