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GENTIANA LUTEA. 
Gentian* 
Class Pentand Ri A.— Ord'er Digynia. 
Nat. Ord. Rotace^, Limi. Gentians, Juss. 
GEIf. Char. Corolla monopetalous. Capsule two-valved, 
one-celled ; with 2 longitudinal receptacles. 
Spec. Char. Corolla mostly five-parted, wheel-shaped, sur- 
rounding the stems. Calyxes spatliy. 
This species of gentian is the Tevriuvvi of Dioscorides, and is said 
to have been named after Gentius, king of lUvria, who first dis- 
covered its medicinal properties, one hundred and sixty-seven vears 
before the birth of Christ. This plant is a native of the Alps^ and 
mountainous parts of Germany, it is also found in North America, 
and according to the Hortus Kewensis, was first cultivated in Britain 
in the time of Gerarde; the gentian of the shops is suppHed by 
Germany and Switzerland. 
This root is perennial, long, cylindrical, externally brown, inter- 
nally yellowish ; the flower stem is strong, smooth, erect, taperino-, 
and rises two or three feet in height ; the leaves which proceed from 
the lower part of the stem, are spear-shaped, large, entire, ribbed, 
sessile, and pointed ; those on the upper part are concave, smooth, 
egg-shaped, and of a pale or yellowish green colour, and have five 
large veins on the back of each ; the flowers are large, yellow, pro- 
duced in whorls, and stand upon strong peduncles ; the corolla is 
divided to its base into five or more long, narrow, spreading elliptical 
segments; the filaments vary in number from five to eight; they 
are shorter than the corolla, and furnished whh long erect anthers ; 
the germen is long, conical, without a style, and supplied with two 
reflected stigmata ; the capsule is conical, one-celled, and divided 
into two valves containing numerous small seeds ; it flowers in June 
and July. 
Sensible Properties. The root, the only part of the plant 
used in medicine, has little or no smell, but an extremely bitter 
* Fig. a. The pistillam. b. The anther* 
