Practical
Plants

Halenia elliptica

Spurred Gentian

a perennial member of the Halenia genus in the family Gentianaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Halenia
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
self fertile
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The entire plant is used in Tibetan medicine, it is considered to have a bitter taste and a cooling potency[2]. It is cholagogue and febrifuge[2]. It is used in the treatment of liver inflammations, stomach complaints and fevers from contagious diseases[2].

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Himalayas from India to China.
Habitat
Beside streams in valleys, grassland slopes, scrub, forest margins and forests at elevations of 700 - 4,100 metres[3].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in early spring in a cool greenhouse[1]. Only just cover the seed. Prick out into individual pots once the plants are large enough to handle and plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a cool, damp soil with a pH of 5 - 6, and a position in light shade with protection from strong winds[1]. Plants are not very hardy outdoors in this country and are best treated as frost-tender annuals[1].

References

  1. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tsarong. Tsewang. J. Tibetan Medicinal Plants Tibetan Medical Publications, India 1994-00-00 ISBN 81-900489-0-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

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