also: りゅうたん
noun
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.
秋になると、山でリンドウが咲きます。
In autumn, gentians bloom in the mountains.
リンドウの青い花が好きです。
I like the blue flowers of the gentian.
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.