Gentiana purpurea

Botanical Description

Gentiana purpurea is a herbaceous perennial plant forming a small clump of growth; the robust stems can grow around 30 - 60cm tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a bitter flavouring in some alcoholic drinks and as a medicine. It is one of many species in the genus used as a source of gentian root (Gentiana lutea is the primary source) which is commonly used as a tonic and stomachic to treat digestive disorders and a range of other conditions. The plant is also sometimes grown as an ornamental. Gentiana purpurea has stable populations in Norway and Switzerland, which hold the biggest part of the global population. The root of this species is used for medicine and collection from the wild has been reported as a threat in parts of its range. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].