GENTIANE^E. 197 



Trees or shrubs with lactescent juices, and exstipu- 

 late, mostly opposite leaves. 



Geographical Relations. Tropical plants, or found in 

 countries bordering on the torrid regions. 



Properties. Acrid and stimulating, or even highly 

 poisonous, though some members may be found inno- 

 cuous. 



Officinal Plant. 

 Strychnos nux-vomica. 



34. GENTIANEuE. 



Calyx monosepalous, 4-o-cleft, inferior, persistent. 

 Corolla monopetalous, hypogynous, marescent, the' limb 

 4-5, rarely 6-8-cleft, equal, contorto-imbricate in aesti- 

 vation. Stamens placed upon the corolla in a common 

 series, and alternate with its divisions, and equal to 

 them in number, or occasionally by abortion less. 

 Ovarium single, 1-2-celled and ovuled. Style one, con- 

 tinuous ; stigmas 1-2. Fruit capsular or baccate, 1-2- 

 celled and valved, the margins of the valves turned in- 

 wards in the one- celled fruits and bearing the seeds, 

 which in the two- celled fruits are attached to a central 

 placenta. Seeds small; albumen soft and fleshy, the 

 radicle towards the hilum. 



Herbaceous, rarely shrubby plants, with simple exsti- 

 pulate opposite leaves, which are sessile or petiolate : the 

 flowers are terminal or axillary. 



Geographical Relations. To be found in all parts of 

 the world, from the snow upon the Swiss mountains to 

 the Cape of Good Hope. 



Property. Intensely bitter. 

 s 3 



