Leaf
Alain Bigou, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Great yellow gentian

Gentiana lutea L.
Also known as: Yellow gentian
Family: Gentianaceae
50 cm to 1.5 m tall
Mountain meadows, gardens, rich, deep soils
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Hardy to -25°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Its bitter root, used since antiquity in aperitifs and digestifs, takes more than 10 years to reach its adult size. A dangerous and well-documented confusion, especially when not in flower and only the leaves are visible: great yellow gentian has opposite leaves, whereas white false hellebore has alternate leaves, pleated lengthwise. In flower, the gentian has large bright yellow star-shaped flowers in whorls, whereas the false hellebore has small whitish to greenish flowers in long panicles. These are good clues, but none is a guarantee on its own: if in the slightest doubt about a root or a plant not in flower, never eat it.
🍃 Leaves
Broad, ovate, opposite, with several clearly marked arching main veins, grey-green.
🌸 Flowers
Bright yellow stars grouped in tiered whorls along the stem
🍎 Fruits
Elongated capsules containing many winged seeds
🪵 Bark
Very deep taproot, basal clump
🗺️ Distribution
Mountains of Europe (Alps, Massif Central, Pyrenees); found in alpine pastures and mountain meadows, protected in some regions.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Large yellow flowers in whorls, very honey-rich, attractive to mountain bumblebees and bees.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Mountain borders, cool rock gardens, botanic gardens; slow growth, late flowering after several years.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity, bitter root traditionally used in liqueur-making and aperitifs.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Great yellow gentian
Great yellow gentian
Gentiana lutea
White false hellebore
White false hellebore
Veratrum album

A dangerous and well-documented confusion, especially when not in flower and only the leaves are visible: great yellow gentian has opposite leaves, whereas white false hellebore has alternate leaves, pleated lengthwise. In flower, the gentian has large bright yellow star-shaped flowers in whorls, whereas the false hellebore has small whitish to greenish flowers in long panicles. These are good clues, but none is a guarantee on its own: if in the slightest doubt about a root or a plant not in flower, never eat it.

🌿 Other Gentianaceae to discover

Spring gentian
Spring gentian
Gentiana verna

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

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