- Gentiana detonsa
- Gentian Gen"tian (j[e^]n"shan or j[e^]n"sh[i^]*an), n. [OE.
genciane, F. gentiane, L. gentiana, fr. Gentius, an Illyrian
king, said to have discovered its properties.] (Bot.)
Any one of a genus ({Gentiana}) of herbaceous plants with
opposite leaves and a tubular four- or five-lobed corolla,
usually blue, but sometimes white, yellow, or red. See
Illust. of {Capsule}.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Many species are found on the highest mountains of Europe, Asia, and America, and some are prized for their beauty, as the Alpine ({Gentiana verna}, {Gentiana Bavarica}, and {Gentiana excisa}), and the American fringed gentians ({Gentiana crinita} and {Gentiana detonsa}). Several are used as tonics, especially the bitter roots of {Gentiana lutea}, the officinal gentian of the pharmacopoeias. [1913 Webster]
{Horse gentian}, fever root.
{Yellow gentian} (Bot.), the officinal gentian ({Gentiana lutea}). See {Bitterwort}. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.