Gentians - Gentiana

The genus Gentiana contains about 450 species. Almost all are found in the Northern Hemisphere, and nearly half of them belong in Himalaya and the mountains of Southwest China.

The Gentians are famous for the deep, clear blue colour which are typical of many of the species. One example is G. nivalis, one of only three Norwegian species. It is found in the mountains all over Norway. This small plant is monocarpic and is usually not seen in the Botanic garden.

Two European spring flowering species, G. verna and G. acaulis, as well as some related species, brighten the Gentian-collection as well as the neighbouring Alp-collection in early summer. Among other European species the tall-growing G. lutea and G. purpurea should be mentioned. The latter is also growing in the southern Norwegian mountains.

Well known to gardeners are some of the species from Caucasus, with G. septemfida as the most wide-spread. Similarly, some of the Asian species are both famous and widely grown. Here G. sino-ornata is the most common, but there are numerous other Asian Gentians closely related to this species. They all are very late bloomers, and in Tromsø they sometimes hardly manage to open their flowers before winter comes. They still can be spectacular on a fine day in late September or even through October, weather permitting.

In the Gentian family (Gentianaceae) genus Gentianella and genus Swertia are also represented by some plants in various collections in the Botanic garden.

Gentiana 'Silken sky'