Gentianaceae

Gentianaceae, the gentian family (order Gentianales) of flowering plants containing 102 genera and around 1,750 species of annual and perennial herbs and, rarely, shrubs. Members of the family are native primarily to northern temperate areas of the world, though many are also found in tropical and subtropical regions. Flowers of certain members of these genera display some of the purest blues in the plant kingdom, and many are cultivated as garden ornamentals.

Physical description

Members of the family have leaves that are opposite each other on the stem. The leaves often lack leafstalks and have smooth margins. The flowers have four or five united petals, which may be deeply divided. The petals overlap and are twisted in the bud. Nectar-secreting pits are found at the base of the petals and sepals in some species. The fruits are commonly capsules.

Major genera and species

Gentians (plants of the genus Gentiana) bear attractive flowers, usually blue but occasionally yellow, white, red, or purple; several species are cultivated as garden ornamentals. Gentians occur widely in moist meadows and woods. Gentiana lutea of the Alps is prized for its yellow flowers; its root is locally considered medicinal and is used to flavour herbal bitters and aperitifs.

Britannica Quiz

Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

Centaury (Centaurium) has pink flowers that close in the afternoon; yellow-wort (Blackstonia) has bright yellow flowers and broad leaves. Both genera contain species used in herbal remedies and in the making of dyes.

Eustoma is a Central and South American genus of several herbaceous species that are now widely cultivated as cut flowers sold under the name “lisianthus” (true Lisianthius is actually a shrubby, uncultivated genus of tropical gentians native to the New World). Swertia, an herb with blue star-shaped flowers, and Exacum, a tropical indoor ornamental, are other attractive members of the family.

Three distinct groups of tropical gentians (Voyria, Voyriella, and Cotylanthera) have lost their leaves and lack chlorophyll entirely. They rely instead on fungal associations (mycorrhizae) or decaying plant material to grow. They are small yellow-to-bluish herbs found in rainforest understories.