Pale Gentian

Pale Gentian (Gentiana alba) is a perennial plant that grows up to 1 m tall,
with a long, thick taproot and a stout, smooth unbranched stem. Its growth form tends to
be somewhat sprawling. Leaves are pale yellowish or olive green, broadly lance-shaped
to egg-shaped with a somewhat heart-shaped base, opposite except just beneath the
flowers, where they are whorled. Flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, but are
clustered towards the apex of the stem. The flowers are white, greenish-white or pale
creamy-white, tube-shaped or spindle-shaped with closed mouths. The fruits are oval
to egg-shaped capsules.
The genus Gentiana is named after Gentius, King of Illyria (ancient name for
Greece) who, around 500 B.C., found the roots of the European Yellow Gentian
(Gentiana lutea) to have a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops. The root of
Pale Gentian has been used by North American natives as a medicinal tea.