Gentiana cruciata

Botanical Description

Gentiana cruciata is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a stout rootstock; it produces a basal rosette of leaves and a clump of erect to ascending stems around 20 - 50cm tall, occasionally reaching 70cm[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. , 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. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental. Gentiana cruciata is a rare plant found in low densities and has low regeneration potential. It grows predominantly on grazed or managed nutrient-poor calcareous grassland, a habitat that has become increasingly fragmented as a result of land use and management practices. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation through lack of adequate management and is also collected in the wild for medicinal use. It is currently threatened in 9 of the 30 countries where it is present in Europe, and 7 out of 19 EU Member states, though it is protected or its collection from the wild regulated by law in several countries. Athough both the species and its habitat are declining, Gentiana cruciata remains a widespread species throughout Europe. 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. ].