Gentianaceae 303 



young, oblong, coarsely serrate above the middle, mostly petioled, 

 2— i cm. long; flowers mostly perfect; calyx less than 2 nun. 

 long; petals 2, oval, narrowed at base to a short claw, 6 mm. long ; 

 white; style slightly lobed at apex ; fruit linear-oblong to spat u- 

 late-oblong, the terminal wing frequently emarginate at apex. 

 Occasional in canyons. 



Family 74. GENTIANACEAE. Gentian Family. 



Hitter, mostly quite glabrous herbs, with opposite 

 rarely verticillate exstipulate entire leaves, and regular 

 perfect flowers in terminal or axillary clusters or solitary 

 at the ends of the stems or branches. Calyx persistent, 

 4-12-lobed, -toothed or -divided, the lobes imbricated or 

 not meeting in the bud. Corolla funnelform, campanu- 

 late or rotate, often marcescent, 4-12-lobed or -parted. 

 Stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla and alter- 

 nate with them, inserted on the tube or throat; anthers 

 2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent ; filaments filiform or 

 dilated at the base. Ovary superior, 1-celled or partly 

 2-celled; ovules numerous ; style simple or none ; stigma 

 entire or 2-lobed or 2-cleft. Capsule mostly dehiscent 

 by 2 valves. Seeds globose, angular or compressed ; 

 endosperm copious ; embryo small, straight. 



1. ERYTHRAEA Xeck. Canchalagua. 



Herbs, mostly annual or biennial, with sessile or 

 amplexicaul leaves, and pink or yellow flowers in cymes 

 or spikes. Calyx tubular, 4-5-lobed or 4-5-divided, the 

 lobes narrow, keeled. Corolla salver-shaped, 4-5-lobed, 

 the lobes spreading, contorted, convolute in the bud. 

 Stamens 4-5, inserted on the base of the corolla-tube ; 

 filaments short, filiform ; anthers linear or oblong, 

 becoming spirally twisted. Ovary 1-celled, the placentae 

 sometimes intruded ; stvle filiform ; stigma 2-lobed. 



