PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Gentiana. 27 



Perennial. August. 



Root of several long, cylindrical^ whitish, intensely bitter fibres. 

 Herb quite smooth, bitter. Stem erect, a foot or more in height, 

 square 3 leafy and simple below ; panicled above. Leaves about 

 the base of the stem, opposite, stalked, ovate, acute, 1 ^ or 2 inches 

 long. Panicle of about a dozen light purplishj^oicers, on oppo- 

 site angular stalks, with a pair of elliptic-oblong bracteas at their 

 origin. CuL purplish. Cor. an inch wide, with greenish necta- 

 ries. Germen often abortive. From Swiss specimens. 



135. GENTIANA. Gentian. 



Linyi. Gen. 126. Juss. 141. Fl. Br. 284, Tourn. t. 40. Lam. 

 f. 109. Gcertn. t. 114. 



Nat. Ord. see ?i. IS*. 



Cal. inferior, of 1 leaf, in 5, sometimes but 4, oblong, acute, 

 permanent segments. Coj: of 1 petal; tubular in the 

 lower part ; limb more or less spreading, in 5, sometimes 

 but 4, deep, equal segments, withering, destitute of necta- 

 riferous pores. Filam. as many as the segments, and al- 

 ternate therewith, inserted into the tube, and not pro- 

 truding beyond it. Anth. incumbent, oblong, sometimes 

 combined. Germen oblong, nearly cylindrical, pointed. 

 Styles short, erect, sometimes combined. Stigmas flat, 

 ovate. Caps, oblong, or elliptical, nearly cylindrical, 

 pointed, slightly cloven, of 2 valves and 1 cell. Seeds 

 numerous, small, compressed, inserted into the inflexed 

 margins of the valves. 



Herbaceous, smooth, very bitter, extremely various in size. 

 Leaves opposite, undivided, entire. Fl. panicled, whorled, 

 or solitary, scentless, blue, purplish, or yellow, often dotted. 

 Corolla remarkably differently formed in different species; 

 in some wheel-shaped, but mostly funnel-shaped, or tubu- 

 lar ; sometimes bearded at the mouth, or fringed at the 

 edges. Style apparently simple, though subsequently 

 divided. Stigmas always 2. 



1. G. Pneumonmitke. Marsh Gentian. Calathian 

 Violet. 



Corolla bell-shaped, five- cleft. Flowers stalked. Leaves 



linear. 

 G. Pneumonanthe. Linn. Sp. PL 330. IVilld. v. 1 . 1336. Fl. Br. 



285. Engl.Bot.v.l.t.20. Fl. Dan. t.269. Ehrh. Herb. 103. 



PI. Of 353. 

 G. n. 641. Hall. Hist. v.^. 285. 



