Plant Details

Gentiana lutea

Yellow Gentian

Back

Explore the size, hardiness, soil, light, edible uses and harvest period of Gentiana lutea.

Use this plant

Log in to add this plant to your recipes.

Log in

Common names

29 names · 26 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Great Yellow Gentian[1]
  • Yellow Gentian
Other languages (25)
Dutch
  • Gele Gentiaan[1]
French
  • Gentiane jaune[1]
  • Grande gentiane[1]
Asturian
Basque
Catalan
  • Genciana groga[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian
  • Žuti srčanik[1]
Czech
  • hořec žlutý[1]
Danish
  • gul ensian[1]
Finnish
  • keltakatkero[1]
Galician
German
  • Gelber Enzian[1]
Hungarian
  • sárga tárnincs[1]
Italian
  • gentiana gialla maggiore[1]
  • Genziana maggiore[1]
Japanese
  • ゲンチアナ[1]
Polish
  • Goryczka żółta[1]
Portuguese
  • Genciana-dos-Cervunais[1]
Russian
  • Горечавка желтая[1]
Slovak
  • horec žltý[1]
Slovenian
  • rumeni košutnik[1]
Spanish
Swedish
  • gullgentiana[1]
Turkish
  • Sarı Afat[1]
Ukrainian
  • Тирлич жовтий[1]
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Gentiana lutea — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Great Yellow Gentian — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Gelber Enzian — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Gentiane jaune — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Genciana groga — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • hořec žlutý — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Genziana maggiore — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • keltakatkero — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Goryczka żółta — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Genciana-dos-Cervunais — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • xanzaina — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Gele gentiaan — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • ゲンチアナ — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • gullgentiana — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • gul ensian — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Горечавка желтая — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • rumeni košutnik — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Grande gentiane — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • gentiana gialla maggiore — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Тирлич жовтий — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Žuti srčanik — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • sárga tárnincs — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • 黄龙胆 — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • 黃龍膽 — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • horec žltý — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • errotxa — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • agenciana — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • xianzana — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.
  • Sarı Afat — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 142299; Gentiana lutea.

General information

Scientific name: Gentiana lutea
Accepted name (Kew): Gentiana lutea L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Botanical family: Gentianaceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Gentiana (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Yellow Gentian
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Herbaceous
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 1.20 m
Spread: 0.60 m
Growth rate: None
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4-8
Soil moisture:
Moist
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Full sun, Partial shade

Uses

Edible parts:
Condiment
Edibility rating:
(1)
Medicinal rating:
(5)
Functions:
None

Description

The root of the yellow gentian contains sugar and mucilage. In the past, it was sometimes used as a flavoring for beer before hops were used in brewing processes.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/07
Harvest ends: 30/09

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1396673; name ID 2819805; Gentiana Tourn. ex L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1397162; name ID 2820867; Gentiana lutea L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.