Gentiana cruciata - Cross Gentian

Cross Gentian, in Latin Gentiana cruciata, is a perennial plant found in dry meadows, light woods, and rocky slopes in much of Europe. It can be recognised by its large bright green leaves arranged in a cross along the stems. On this bushy tuft, small vivid blue gentian flowers bloom in summer, sometimes nestled in the foliage. This montane perennial is not the easiest to cultivate in the garden: it will thrive in a not too arid situation, in a very well-drained soil, preferably a limestone alpine rockery that is somewhat cool.

The cross gentian, from the Gentianaceae family, is a species native to Europe and Asia. In nature, it can be found at altitudes between 100 and 2100m (328 and 6890ft), but it is absent from Mediterranean regions, which are too hot and dry. A perennial plant with a thick stump and a tufted habit, it consists of leafy stems that disappear in winter and re-emerge from the ground in spring. At maturity, the plant reaches an average size of 27 cm (11in) in all directions, depending on the growing conditions. The reddish-brown, erect-and-curving stems are adorned with numerous lanceolate leaves, 10 cm (4in) long, of a beautiful bright green colour, sheathing at the base. Flowering takes place from June to September. At the end of the leafy stems but also in the axils of the leaves, small trumpet-shaped flowers, 20-25 mm (1in) long, stand upright. Each flower has a corolla composed of 4 well-individualised lobes, of a bright blue colour with an almost black base. The throat of the flower is occupied by white styles, which are the female reproductive organs of the flower. 

As is the case with most alpine plants, Cross Gentian will be easy to cultivate as long as the growing conditions suit it. This mountain plant does not appreciate climates that are too hot, or heavy, acidic and/or poorly drained soils. In the ground, it will ideally be placed in a soil rich in limestone pebbles, well-drained, not too dry, on a wall, in a rockery, on a slope, along borders, or in a trough, in a mountain garden. It prefers rocky, sunny spaces that are not too hot or partially shaded, where it can establish deep roots. This gentian can be associated, in a flowerbed or rockery, with e.g. snowdrops, botanical tulips, crocuses, Lewisia, dwarf conifers, pasqueflowers.

This gentian is the exclusive host of the cross gentian blue, a butterfly that has become rare. It lays its eggs on its leaves, and its caterpillars feed on them. At the end of summer, the caterpillars fall to the ground and are collected by certain ants that transport them to their anthill and feed them, like parasites. 

The term Gentiana refers to Gentius, king of Illyria (present-day Albania) in the 2nd century BC, who, according to Pliny the Elder, discovered the medicinal and healing properties of the root of yellow gentian.