Minnesota Plant Life. 363 



gentian are very similar, but have not the shredded filaments 

 in a circle within the lobes of the corolla. The oblong-leafed 

 gentian has between each of the five notches of the corolla 

 tube a little ragged, toothed appendage. The plant-body is 

 smooth. The downy gentian is quite similar to the oblong- 

 leafed, but may be known by its solitary stems, while those of 

 the oblong-leafed gentian are clustered. In all the sorts that 

 have been mentioned the stamens are distinct and spreading. 

 In the remaining varieties the stamens bend together and co- 

 here by their tips into a ring around the fruit-rudiment. The 

 soapwort gentian is a form with the flowers of the closed gen- 

 tian and opening but slightly at the tip. The leaves are oppo- 

 site, but in the closed gentian they are in whorls around the 

 clustered flowers. The yellow gentian produces its bell-shaped 

 flowers at the ends of stems or in the axils of upper leaves, 

 quite after the mode of the closed gentian, but they are of a 

 greenish or yellowish white instead of blue. The narrow-leafed 

 gentian somewhat resembles the downy variety, but may be 

 distinguished by the coherence of the stamens in a tube. The 

 leaves are slender and willow-shaped. The red-stemmed gen- 

 tian is like this, with broad-based, lance-shaped leaves. 



Many of the gentians are found in bogs or in moist meadows. 

 In the autumn of the year, together with Parnassias, they form 

 extensive beds in the low wet meadows along river valleys. The 

 spurred gentian has a spur at the base of each of the corolla 

 lobes, making the flower somewhat of the shape of a colum- 

 bine. They are rather smaller, however, and of a purplish or 

 white color. This plant is found along the north shore of Lake 

 Superior and throughout the northern part of the state to Lake 

 of the Woods. 



Buck-beans. The buck-bean is a pretty common plant on 

 floating bogs and among the reed-grasses along the shores of 

 lakes. From a thick, scaly rootstock stems arise, bearing leaves 

 in shape somewhat like large clover leaves and of a pale green 

 color. The flowers are borne in panicles and are white or 

 purple, decidedly attractive in appearance. This plant is fre- 

 quent in the Chisago lakes and generally throughout the state. 

 In the northern lakes it becomes very abundant and is often 



