Gentian {Gentiana excisa), not only because the two plants are 

 so much alike but also because intermediate forms exist ; 

 indeed, it is open to question whether the two plants are 

 really to be regarded as distinct species. In the Carved 

 Gentian the calyx lobes become contracted just above their 

 bases, to widen out again above, and the recesses between 

 the lobes are more rounded and less pointed. The leaves 

 also are broader, less leathery, and not nearly so sharp pointed 

 as those of the so-called stemless variety. The flowers of the 

 Marsh Gentian (Gentiana Fneumonanthe) are also not unlike 

 those of the plant here photographed, but it should be readily 

 distinguished because its leaves are much narrower and 

 several flowers are borne by a single plant. 



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