204 



GENTIANJEE. XXXVII. ERYTHEMA. 



sessile, opposite, decussate ; radical ones rosulate, 3-5 nerved. 

 Flowers terminal, sessile, or pedicillate, red or yellow. 



1 Flowers sessile, or on very short, hardly evident pedicels. 



1 E. CENTAU'RIUM (Pers. ench. 1. p. 283.) stem tetragonal, 

 dichotomously panicled, corymbose ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 

 3-nerved ; calyx shorter than the tube of the corolla. 0. H. 

 Native throughout Europe, in dry gravelly pastures ; in several 

 parts of Britain, common. Willd. enum. 1. p. 247. Chirdnia 

 Centaurium, With. p. 237. Curt. fl. lond. t. 247. Smith, fl. brit. 

 p. 257. engl. bot. t. 417. Heyne, getr. darst. t. 29. Jaume St. 

 Hil. fasc. 24. t. 1. Wood. med. bot. 435. t. 157. Mayerhoffer, 

 fl. monac. t. 5. Gentiana Centaurium, Lin. spec. 332. Oed. fl. 

 dan. 617. Bull. herb. t. 253. Plenck. off. t. 175. Centaurium 

 vulgare, Rafin. soel. p. 68. Hippocentaurium Centaurium, Schult. 

 cestr. fl. ed. 2. vol. 1. p. 283. Centaurium minus, Cam. epit. 

 428, &c. Calycine segments subulate. Corollas rose-coloured ; 

 segments elliptic. This is a pure bitter, and agrees, in this 

 respect, with other Gentianeous plants. 



Par. [3, majus (Schmidt, fl. boh. 2. p. 31.) radical leaves spatu- 

 late ; stem 2 feet high, branched ; branches all axillary, twiggy, 

 trichotomous at the apex; branchlets dichotomous, 3-flowered ; 

 calyx 3 times shorter than the tube of corolla. Q. H. 

 Bohemia. 



Far. y, medium (Schmidt, 1. c.) radical leaves broader, 

 obovate-roundish, 5-nerved : cauline ones half stem-clasping, 

 ovate-obtuse ; stem a foot high, branched at the base ; branches 

 erect, simple, trichotomous at the apex ; branchlets trifid, 

 3-flowered ; bracteas setaceous ; calyx length of the tube of 

 the corolla. . H. Bohemia. 



Far. I, minus (Schmidt, 1. c.) radical leaves obovate ; lower 

 cauline ones oblong : superior ones linear, all obtuse ; stem 

 simple, erect, a ringer in height, bi-trichotomous, 2-3-flowered, 

 one of the flowers sessile, and the other pedicellate. Q. H. 

 Bohemia. 



Far. e, palustre (Schmidt, 1. c.) radical leaves as in var. > ; 

 stem a hand high, and the branches dichotomous ; cauline leaves 

 oblong, acutish. Q. H. Bohemia. 



Var, 7, colllnum (Schmidt, I.e.) radical leaves rather scabrous. 

 Q. H. Bohemia. 



Var. TI, Broterii ; leaves 3-nerved : lower ones oblong : upper 

 ones lanceolate-linear ; calyx much shorter than the tube of the 

 corolla, which is filiform ; segments of corolla bluntish. Q. H. 

 Native of Portugal. Gentiana Centaurium, Brot. fl. lus. 1. p. 

 276. This differs from the species, in the superior leaves being 

 narrower, and in the filiform tube of the corolla. 



Var. 0, grandtflora ; larger than the species ; limb of corolla 

 larger, concave ; segments broad. Q- H. Native of Europe, 

 in moist places. E. Centaurium ft, Pers. ench. 1. p. 283. Cen- 

 taurium erythrae a, Rafin and Schousboe. 



Var. i, albiflbra ; flowers white. 



N. B. See Wallr. ann. bot. p. 34. and Spreng. obs. bot. p. 10. 

 in which Chironia Centaurium, Ch. pulchella, and Ch. maperta, 

 are found under one specific name. 



Centaury Gentian, or Lesser Centaurv. Fl. July, Aug. Britain. 

 PI. i to 1 foot. 



2 E. CACHANLAHU'AN (Rcem. et Schultes, syst. 4. p. 167.) 

 branches spreading ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, veinless ; calyx 

 angular, quinquifid, length of the tube of the corolla ; calycine 

 segments connivent ; segments of corolla suberose at the apex. 

 O- H. Native of Chili. Cachanlahuan, Molin. chil. ed. 2d. 

 p. 124. Chironia Chilensis, Willd. spec. 1. p. 1667. Gentiana 

 Peruviana, Lam. diet. 2. p. 642. Cahan Laguen, Feuill. per. 2. 

 t. 35. Stem dichotomous, and corymbose at the top. This is 

 the Cahan Laguen of Chili, a famous stomachic medicine of 

 that country. Arnott does not think that the E. Quittnsis is 



specifically distinct from the present, although the flowers are 

 said to follow the quaternary division. Though it is medicinally 

 used in Peru, Humboldt never saw it while there ; but it was 

 cultivated in the plains of Chiloe, the inhabitants of which may 

 have originally brought it with them from Chili, where it is a 

 native. 



Cachanlahuan Lesser Centaury. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1825. 

 PI. to 1 foot. 



3 E. QUITE'NSIS (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 3. p. 178. ; 

 much branched ; branches dichotomous ; leaves 3-nerved, lower 

 ones oblong, upper ones lanceolate ; flowers terminal, lateral, 

 and axillary, on long pedicels ; calyx equal in length to the tube 

 of the corolla; parts of flower quaternary. Q. H. Native 

 of Quito, in temperate places, where it is called Cachanlagua ; 

 and of Chiloe. E'xacum Quitense, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 425. 

 Stem and branches tetragonal. Calycine segments linear, acute, 

 furnished with a narrow membraneous line on the back, and 

 diaphanous margins. Corolla rose-coloured, with a cylindrical 

 tube, and oblong, obtuse, equal segments. Capsule oblong, 

 2-celled, 2-valved. This differs from the preceding in the tetra- 

 merous flowers. 



Quito Lesser Centaury. PI. 5 to 1 foot. 



4 E. LATIFOLIA (Smith, engl. fl. 1. p. 321.) stem 3-cleftat top; 

 leaves roundish-elliptic, 5-7-nerved ; flowers terminal, fascicu- 

 late ; tube of corolla equal in length to the calyx ; segments of 

 the limb lanceolate. 0. H. Native of England, on the sea-shore 

 of Lancashire, and to the north of Liverpool ; and of the county 

 of Down, Ireland. Chironia Centaurium, var. 2. Smith, fl. brit. 

 p. 1393. Corollas pink. 



Broad-leaved Lesser Centaury. Fl. July, Aug. Britain. 

 PI. A foot. 



5 E. CAPITA'TA (Willd. ex Roem. et Schultes, syst. 4. p. 168.) 

 leaves elliptic-lanceolate or obovate, 3-5-nerved ; flowers capi- 

 tate, bracteate. . H. Native, country unknown. This is 

 said to be a very showy species. 



Capitate-fiovtered Lesser Centaury. PI. 5 to g foot. 



6 E. CONFE'RTA (Pers. ench. 1. p. 283.) plant erect, dwarf, 

 branched ; leaves ovate, obtuse, 3-nerved ; flowers sessile, fas- 

 cicled, crowded ; calyx about equal in length to the middle of 

 the tube of the corolla. I/ . H. Native of Spain. Corollas 

 red. Very nearly allied to E. spicata. 



Crowded-flowered Lesser Centaury. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1821. 

 PI. i to i foot. 



7 E. AGGREGA'TA (Sweet, fl. gard. t. 137.) stems tetragonal, 

 much branched, decumbent ; branches dichotomous, aggregate, 

 few-flowered ; flowers sessile ; leaves spatulate, obtuse, 1 -nerved, 

 tapering into the petioles at the base ; bracteas linear, obtuse, 

 rather longer than the calyx ; calyx twice shorter than the 

 tube of the corolla. $ . S. Native of the south of Europe. 

 Flowers beautiful, rose-coloured. Segments of corolla oval, 

 obtuse. Stem and branches tetragonal. 



Aggregate Lesser Centaury. Fl. March, June. Clt. 1824. 

 PI. i foot. 



8 E. LITTORA'LIS (Fries, nov. fl. suec. p. 30.) stem simple or 

 branched, dwarf, tetragonal ; leaves ovate-oblong, obtuse ; flowers 

 crowded, sessile, fasciculate ; calyx about equal in length to the 

 tube of the corolla. . H. Native of Britain, on the sea 

 coast; and of Sweden, near Gottenburg, and of Holland. Chi- 

 ronia littoralis, Turn, and Dillw. guide, p. 469. Smith, engl. 

 bot. 2305. Chir6nia pulchella, Don, fl. brit. fasc. 1. no. 7. Co- 

 rollas pink. This species differs from E. conferta in the shape 

 of the leaves and length of the tube of the corolla. 



Sea-shore Lesser Centaury. Fl. June, July. England. PI. 

 i foot. 



9 E. SPICA'TA (Pers. ench. 1. p. 283. Smith, fl. grasc. 

 t. 238.) branches dichotomous, tetragonal ; leaves lanceolate- 



