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Gentianella quinquefolia

Common name:	Ague Weed	Family:	Gentianaceae
Author:	(L.)Small.	Botanical references:	200, 204
Synonyms:	Gentiana quinquefolia (L.), Gentiana quinqueflora (L. emend Sm.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - southern Ontario to Tennessee and Florida.
Habitat:	Rich woods and moist fields[222].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	G. quinquefolia ssp. quinquefolia[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Agueweed [P,B], Five-flowered Gentian [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	quinquefolia = 5 leaves;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Gentianales. Gentian family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us(Appalachia)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Biennial growing to 0.6m. . It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Bitter; Cathartic; Febrifuge; Haemostatic; Homeopathy; Stomachic; Tonic.

The root is cathartic, febrifuge, haemostatic, stimulant and stomachic[200, 257]. A tea or tincture of the root is a bitter tonic, used to stimulate the digestion and a poor appetite[222, 257]. An infusion has also been used to treat diarrhoea, sore chest, worms and haemorrhages[257].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the root[4]. It is used in the treatment of intermittent fevers and as a stomachic and tonic[4].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a damp humus-rich soil and should be planted in a situation approaching its native habitat[200].

Propagation

Seed - must be sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Gentiana quinqueflora (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Gentiana quinquefolia (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Gentianella quinquefolia ssp. quinquefolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Gentianaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[204] Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978 ISBN 0-660-00025-3
In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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