About Gentiana catesbaei Walter
Gentiana catesbaei Walter, commonly known as Elliot's gentian, American gentian, or bottle gentian, is a wildflower native to eastern North America. This species grows in swampy areas ranging from Virginia to Florida. It produces showy pale blue flowers that bloom in late fall, from September to December. It shares the common name "bottle gentian" with multiple other species. The Catawba American Indians have been recorded using Elliott's gentian for medicinal purposes: they steeped its roots in hot water, and used the resulting liquid to soothe sore backs. This use is not surprising, as the European gentian, G. lutea, has been used as a digestive tonic, and was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia as a gastric stimulant from 1820 to 1995. The name of the genus Gentiana itself is derived from Gentius, a king of Illyria who discovered the plant's tonic properties.
