GENTIAN. 167 



air till June. The other kinds are hardy, and may be 

 treated in the same manner as those first mentioned. 



GENTIAN. 



GENTIANA. 



GENTIANEJE. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA. 



So named from Gentius, King of Illyria. French, la gentiane. 

 Italian, la genziana. 



THE Gentians are very numerous, and many of them 

 eminently beautiful. They are generally difficult to pre- 

 serve in a garden ; and being long-rooted, very few are 

 adapted for planting in pots. The smaller kinds, how- 

 ever, may be so cultivated ; as the Swallow-wort-leaved, 

 which does not exceed a foot in height, and has large light- 

 blue bell-shaped flowers, blowing in July and August. This 

 species is a native of many parts of Europe ; it must have 

 a moist loamy soil, and be placed in the shade. The roots 

 only are perennial ; the stalks decay annually ; and of most 

 of the species, the flowers appear but once in two or three 

 years. They all like moisture, and should be watered 

 liberally in dry weather, particularly the Marsh Gentian, 

 which has also fine blue flowers, though few in number. 

 They blow in August and September. This species grows 

 naturally in England and many other parts of Europe. If 

 it be in strong moist earth, it will flower every year. 



Cowley, taking advantage of the origin of the name, pro- 

 poses this plant by the name of Royal Gentian, in answer to 

 Virgil : 



" Die quibus in terris inscripti nomina regum 

 Nascantur flores." 



VIRGIL, Eclogue 3. 



" Now tell me first in what new region springs 

 A flower that bears inscribed the name of kings." 



DRYDEN. 



Not very aptly, however, for the Gentian is not supposed 



