GENTIAN FAMILY 



33^ 



Gentian). — Stem erect, leafy, 



widening upwards and then constricted, blue, purple, or lilac, or 

 rarely pink in British species ; anthers not twisted ; stigmas 2. 

 (Name from Gentius, king of Illyria, who is said to have discovered 

 its medicinal value.) 



1. G. Pneumondnthe (Marsh 

 unbranched, 4 — 10 in. high, with 

 one or two large, bell-shaped, 

 deep blue, or very rarely pink, 

 flowers with 5 green stripes and 

 with no fringe in the throat of the 

 corolla-tube. — Boggy heaths ; 

 rare.^ — Fl. August, September. 

 Perennial. 



2. G. verna (Spring Gentian).^ 

 A tufted plant with runners and 

 rather large, solitary, sessile, in- 

 tensely blue flowers, with 5 smaller 

 2-cleft segments between the 

 lobes of the corolla. — Wet lime- 

 stone rocks in Teesdale and in 

 Ireland ; very rare. — Fl. April — 

 June. Perennial. 



3. G. nivalis (Small Alpine 

 Gentian). — A more erect, slightly 

 branched species, with flowers 

 smaller than in the last, several 

 together and shortly stalked. — 

 Summits of Highland mountains; 

 very rare. — Fl. August, Septem- 

 ber, Annual. 



4. G. Amarella (Common 

 Autumn Gentian). — A remark- 

 ably erect plant, with a square, 

 leafy, purplish, much-branched 

 stem, 6 — 12 in. high; numerous 

 rather large, 5-merous flowers, 

 which only expand in bright sun- 

 shine ; calyx with 5 nearly equal lobes, a little shorter than the 

 cylindrical tube of the lurid, purplish-blue corolla, the throat of 

 which is fringed with hairs. — Dry chalky pastures ; common. — 

 Fl. August, September. Annual. 



5. G. germdnica (Scarce Autumn Gentian), differing in having 

 unequal lobes to the calyx, much shorter than the obconic tube of 

 the bluish-lilac corolla, is also a larger and stouter but rare plant. 



gentiAna camp^stris {Field Gentiaii). 



