GENTIAN is any of about 400 species of herbs that make up the genus Gentiana.

These plants are supposed to have been named after Gentius, long of ancient Illyria. When the king was ill the root of a yellow wild flower was brought to him. He drank the bitter juices of the root and was cured.

This yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) grows on the slopes of the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Apennine mountains in Europe. It reaches height of three to four feet. Its roots are still used in the manufacture of medicine. Many species of gentian are found all over the world except in Africa. The blue, or Alpine, gentian (C. acaulis) is a small plant found in great abundance on high mountain slopes of Europe. Their masses of blue blossoms form a beautiful sight in midsummer.

The bottle, or closed, gentian (G. andrewsii) and the fringed gentian (g. crinita) grow in moist spots in the United States. The latter is one of the most beautiful of all wild flowers, but because it has been picked too extensively, it is now quite rare.

In England and the United States, gentians are cultivated as garden flowers, but are often difficult to grow well. The various species bloom from midsummer to early autumn.

GARDENIA is a plant of the family Rubiaceae. The Cape jasmine, or florist’s gardenia, is raised in China for its fruit, which produces a yellow dye. In the East Indies, another species is valuable for a gum which exudes from its bark. In South Africa, two species are prized for their strong, hard wood. Although none of the many species of gardenia is native to the United States, the plant was named for an American naturalist, Alexander Garden. In the Americas and Europe, gardenias are grown for their beautiful waxy blossoms, which are very fragrant. The flowers somewhat resemble those of the camellia. They are dainty and may be double or single, ivory while or lemon yellow. They offer a striking contrast against the shiny evergreen foliage.

Since gardenias are natives of tropical countries, in cultivation they require plenty of heat and moisture, and are usually grown in green-houses. In greenhouses gardenias are usually grown from cuttings. A few varieties are raised outdoors in the southern United States.

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