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Gentianaceae FAMILY

Swertia japonica

Swertia japonica

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual
Growth—

Swertia species are generally plants of moderate to high elevations where they are often found on damp slopes and humus-rich, peat mosses. They grow best in areas with cool summers and perennial species are generally cold-hardy to temperatures down to around -15°c[1]. Succeeds in a moist humus-rich soil in damp light woodlands, streamsides or the bog garden[1]. Grows best in areas with cool summers[1]. The plant is monocarpic, living for one to three years before flowering and dying after it flowers[2]. It is cultivated as a medicinal herb in China[3]. It requires a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria[4].

Propagation

Seed - sow in trays in spring in a humus-rich medium in temperatures not exceeding 10°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Swertia+japonica>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  3. [3]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  4. [4]Atlas of Medicinal Plants. — Kariyone. T. · Nihon Rinshosha; Osaka · 1973 ↩︎A good Japanese herbal.
  5. [5]Flora of Japan — http://www.foj.info ↩︎An on-line version of the flora - an excellent resource.
  6. [6]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  7. [7]Hepatoprotective Principles of Swertia japonica Makino on d-Galactosamine/Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Liver Injury in — Hase K. et al · 1997 ↩︎
  8. [8]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.