Description
Latin Name: Gentiana lutea. About the Plant: Herbaceous perennial native to the mountain meadows of central and southern Europe and Asia Minor. Rare and most everywhere now protected in its native habitat. The flowers are rich yellow, the herbage is succulent and the root is the premier official bitter which is utilized for making various aperitifs and the famous Swedish Bitters. Traditional usage (TWM): bitter digestive. The plant prefers rich soil of neutral pH, moist but well-drained in sun to shade. Short-lived seed. Cold-stored seed. Sow in fall, winter or very early spring for germination in the spring. Outdoor nursery bed technique or shadehouse technique preferred. Seed germinates best in the dark. Press seed into surface, cover with 1/4 inch compost, tamp securely and keep evenly moist. Transplant when sufficiently robust to survive on the landscape. Space plants 2 feet apart–they get very large! Flowers 3 to 4 feet tall.
