GENTIANACE^. (gKNTIAX FAMILY.) S/iZ 



of the valves. — Small annual herbs, with erect filiform stems, scalc-lilcc su'.Jiilatc 

 leaves, and white Uowers. 



1. B. verna, Muhl. Stem (2' -6' high) simple or sparlnj^ly branched, suc- 

 culent, fcw-fiowered ; calyx-lobes lanceolate-subulate, one third as long as the 

 oblong or obovatc obtuse spreading white lobes of the corolla ; anthers oblong ; 

 capsule roundisli. (Centaurella verna, il//c/(.r.) — Dailip pine barrens near the 

 coast, Florida to Xortli Carolina. Feb. - April. 



2. B. tenella, IMuIil. Stem (G'-12' hicli) branched; the branches, like 

 the leaves, opposite or alternate, many-(lowered ; calyx-lobes subulate, as long 

 as the tube of the greenish-white corolla; lobes of the corolla erect, acute; 

 anthers globose ; capside oblong-lanceolate. (Centaurclla paniculata, Michx.) — 

 Swamps, Florida to Mississippi^ and northward. Sept. and Oct. — Flowers 

 much smaller than in No. I. 



5. OBOLARIA, L. 



Calyx of 2 spatulate br.ict-likc sepals. Corolla bell-shaped, 4-cleft, imbricated 

 in the bud. Stamens 4 : anthers round-cordate. Style short : sti^^ma 2-lipped. 

 Capsule ovoid, 1-cellcd. Seeds numerous, covering the valves. — A low spar- 

 ingly branched perennial herb, with opposite wedgc-obovate leaves, and single or 

 clustered axillary and terminal purplish flowers. 



1. O. Virginica, L. — Rich shady woods, South Carolina, and northward. 

 March and April. — Plant smooth, purplish, 3' -8' liigh. Branches generally 

 3-flowercd. 



6. FRASERA, Walt. American Columdo. 



Calyx 4-parted. Corolla wheel-shaped, 4-parted, the lobes each with a de- 

 pressed fringed gland on the upper face. Stamens 4 : anthers nodding. Style 

 persistent : stigmas spreading. Capsule compressed. Seeds few, large, winged, 

 borne on the margins of the valves. — Tall and smooth perennial herbs, with 

 whorled or opposite sessile leaves and branches, and cymes of greenish-yellow 

 flowers, disposed in a large terminal panicle. 



1. P. Carolinensis, Walt. 'Stem (3° - 8° high) erect ; leaves and brandies 

 mostly four in a whorl, lance-oblong, the lowest spatulate; panicle pyramidal ; 

 corolla-lobes oblong, mucronate, dotted with purple. — Rich soil in the upper 

 districts of Georgia, and northward. July. — Lowest leaves 1° long. Corolla 

 1' wide. Root large and bitter to the taste. 



7. LIMNANTHEMUM, Gmcl. 



Calyx 5-partcd. Corolla wheel-shaped, 5-partcd, the lobes infolded in the bud, 

 ciliatc, and glandular-crested at the base. Stamens .5. Style short or none: 

 stigma 2-lobed, persistent. Capsule l-ccUcd, opening irregularly. Seeds few or 

 many. Testa woody. — Perennial aquatic herbs, with floating cirr-ular or cor- 

 date spongy leaves, and white pedunckd llowurs clustered near the summit of 

 the long petiole. 



