452 C. GENTIANACE.(E. Gentiana. 



sitp or brachiate branches. Leaves 4—7" by 1—3", closely sessile. Flowers 

 lateral and terminal and central, the pedicels in the forks near J' long, the 

 others shorter. Corolla bright purple, tube yellowish-green, slender, persistent 

 and withering on the capsule. July— Sept. 



2 E PicKERiNGii. Oakes. Pickering's Erythraa. 



SI dichotomously branched, erect ; Ivs. clasping and slightly decurrent, 

 lower ones oval, obtuse, upper lanceolate, acute ; fls. sessile, mostly lateral on 

 the long branches; sep. linear, acute, erect; cor. tube slender, contracted at the 

 neck lobes spreading, obtuse ; a}ith. linear-oblong, finally twisting outwards.— 

 Q) Coast of Maryland. Dr. Pickering. Sandy margins of the sea-shore Nan- 

 tucket, Mr. Oakes. Whole plant very smooth and intensely bitter, 6—12' high. 

 Leaves 1' long, fleshy, pale green. Corolla 8" long, rose or nearly white. 



3. CICENDIA. Adans. 

 Calyx 4 — 5-parted ; cor. infundibuliform, marescent, tube cylin- 

 dric, limb 4 — 5-parted ; sta. 4 — 5, inserted into the throat of the 

 corolla ; anth. erect, roundish, scarcely exserted ; sty. deciduous ; 

 stig. capitate ; caps, 1 or partly 2-celled, 2-valved. — ® Low herbs, with 

 yellow or rose-colored flowers. 



C.I PULCHELLA. Griscb. (Exacum. Ph.) 



Lower Ivs. suhorbicular, upper subulate ; panicle corymbose ; ped. filiform ; 

 cal. 4-parted, segments subulate.— Sea coast, N. J. This plant appears not to 

 have been detected by any botanist since Pursh, and from his brief description 

 it is impossible to ascertain its true position in the order. 

 4. OB OL ARIA. 



Gr. oPo\os, a small coin, with which the leaves of these plants are compared. 



Calyx of 2 cuneate-oblong sepals or bracts ; corolla tubular-cam- 

 panulate, marescent, 4-cleft, lobes entire or crenulate ; stam. inserted 

 on the corolla at the clefts ; stigma subcapitate, bifid ; capsule 1- 

 celled, 2-valved ; seeds 00, very minute. — % Leaves opposite. Fls. 

 axillary and terminal, sessile, with leaf-like sepals. 



0. ViRGiNiCA. Pennij-vjort. 



Penn. to Car., W. to Ky., in woods. Stem 4 — 8' high, often in clusters, 

 subsimple or with a few opposite branches above. Leaves cuneate-obovate or 

 roundish-rhomboidal, sessile and decurrent at base, fleshy, obtuse or truncate 

 at apex, lower ones small and remote, upper crowded, glaucous-purple, sepals 

 or bracts similar. Corolla pale purple or whitish, longer than the stamens. 

 Capsule ovoid, obtuse, surrounded by the withered corolla. Apr., May. — There 

 is some doubt in respect to the order of this genus. It has more recently been 

 referred to Orobancliaceae. 



5. GENTIAN A. Tourn. 



From Gentiiis, king of Illyria, who discovered the tonic virtues of this genus. 



Calyx 5 — 4-parted or cleft ; cor. marescent, tubular at base, limb 

 4 — 5-parted, segments either spreading, erect or convergent, often 

 furnished with intermediate, plicate folds ; sta. 5 — 4, inserted in the 

 corolla tube ; stig. 2, revolute or erect ; sty. short or ; caps. 2- 

 valved, 1 -celled, many-seeded. — Herbs of various habit. Lvs. oppo- 

 site. Fls. terminal or cymose. 



§ 1. Flowers 5 — 10-merffiis. 



1. G. Pneumonanthe. (G. saponaria. Griseb.) 



St. ascending ; lvs. linear-lanceolate, or the lower oblanceolate, the mar- 

 gin smooth ! cyme terminal ; fls. aggregated, or in a racemose cyme, sessile ; 

 cal. 5-cleft, the lobes linear, equaling the tube ; cor. clavate, connivent at apex, 

 twice longer than the calyx, lobes ovate-obtuse, much longer than the interme- 



