During the reign of King Gentius, Illyria was devastated by the plague.
So great was the mortality among his subjects, the pious king appointed
a season of fasting, and prayed that if he shot an arrow into the
air the Almighty would direct its descent, guiding it to some herb
possessed of sufficient virtue to arrest the course of the disease. The
king shot the arrow and in falling it cleft the root of a plant which,
when tested, was found to possess the most astonishing curative powers,
and did much to lessen the ravages of the plague. The plant from that
time on became known as the Gentian, in honor of the good king, whose
supplications brought about the divine manifestation of its medicinal
properties.
The old herbalists called the Gentian Baldmoyne, or Feldwode. The first
of these names is supposed to have been derived from the Latin valde
bona, meaning very good. It was regarded as a specific for poisons and
pestilence, and an excellent remedy for wounds caused by mad dogs. The
term Feldwode carries the associations of the plant back to the time
of Greek myths and fables. Tellus, the goddess of the earth, possessed
the power to produce plants potent for enchantments. Hence, when Medea
besought Tellus to evolve a plant which would give the element of
renewed youth to the mixture in her caldron, the goddess produced the
Gentian or Feldewode, which restored to the aged Aeson the freshness
and vigor of youth.
The genus Gentiana includes nearly two hundred species distributed from
boreal to tropical regions, although the majority are found in the
north temperate zone. A large number of species are found in Europe,
more than sixty having been reported from Russia, and there are nearly
one hundred in North America. Several very beautiful forms come from
the Swiss Alps, which rarely attain a height of more than three or four
inches. The deep blue flowers of these diminutive specimens retain
their color for years after being pressed for the herbarium, thus
differing from many of the larger forms, whose corollas quickly fade.
One of the most attractive and familiar of the Gentians is the fringed
or blue Gentian (Gentiana crinita). It is generally found in low
grounds, along water courses or ditches, and while quite generally
distributed, it is sparing of its favors, as the long peduncles that
terminate the stems or simple branches, support but a single flower.
The plant grows to a height of from one to two feet, and the leaves,
placed opposite to each other, have rounded or heart-shaped bases
attached directly to the stems, entire edges and tapering points. The
sky-blue flower is bell-shaped, nearly two inches long and with the
lobes strongly fringed. This is partially enclosed by a calyx, which is
nearly as long as the corolla.
A much more common form, found growing in fields and woodlands, is the
closed Gentian (Gentiana Andrewsii). The fanciful name, Cloistered
Heart, has been given to the plant because of the story that once a
fairy queen sought to elude pursuit by secreting herself in the flower
of a fringed Gentian. In order that she might be more effectually
shielded, the plant closed the lobes of its corolla and in gratitude
the queen decorated the interior of the flower with brilliant stripes.
It is in order to preserve this fairy painting that the flowers have
remained closed ever since.
The closed Gentian has leaves with rough edges and a narrow base. The
flowers are blue or occasionally white, closed at the mouth, forming
an inflated, club-shaped corolla, with stripes on the inside. They are
arranged in clusters on the ends of the peduncles or flower stems and
are from an inch to an inch and a half in length. Both the fringed and
the blue Gentian bloom during the autumn months and are among the most
attractive forms that mark the close of the floral season.
The medicinal properties of the Gentian are obtained from the root,
which, after being powdered, yields its remedial qualities to water
and alcohol. As a tonic, it has been used from remote times and it is
said that the Swiss macerate the plants in cold water, the sugar they
contain causing fermentation which results in a spirituous liquor,
bitter and unpleasant, but much used by them. The root is found as an
ingredient in many of the ancient receipts transmitted from the Greeks
and Romans, and is still employed in a great variety of complaints.
Charles S. Raddin.