also: りゅうたん
gentian; autumn bellflower
Refers specifically to Gentiana scabra var. buergeri, a blue-flowered autumn perennial native to Japan. The katakana spelling リンドウ is standard.
In autumn, gentians bloom in the mountains.
I like the blue flowers of the gentian.
gentian blue; salvia blue
whitish gentian; Gentiana algida
The most common spelling; the plant name is usually written in katakana.
Hiragana spelling, also common.
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
Variant kanji form with 龍; even rarer.
Alternate reading of the kanji forms; almost never used in practice.
The Japanese name リンドウ (rindō) is thought to derive from the Chinese name 竜胆 (lóngdǎn), literally 'dragon's gall', referring to the plant's bitter root. The alternate reading りゅうたん is the on'yomi of the kanji, but is rarely used.