THE GENTIANS 43 



{Erythrcea centaurium, Pers.), the Buckbean {Meny- 

 anthes trifoliata, Linn.), and other genera not found 

 in Alpine Switzerland, we have five Gentians, all of 

 which occur in the Alps, except the Marsh Gentian 

 {Gentiana pneumonanthe, Linn.), which does not 

 extend beyond the Lowlands. One other British 

 species, the Autumn Gentian ((?. amarella, Linn.), is 

 believed to be very rare in Switzerland, occurring only 

 in the Lower Engadine. 



As opposed to our five British Gentians, there are 

 no fewer than eighteen species to be found within the 

 Alpine zone in Switzerland, many of them being widely 

 distributed and often abundant. Three of these are 

 especially in evidence in the High Alpine region. 



The best-known Alpine Gentians are those which 

 possess blue flowers. But it must not be imagined 

 that all Swiss Gentians have blue flowers, though this 

 is true of the majority. Some species, as we shall see, 

 have yellow or red corollas. The blue-flowered plants 

 are, however, very much in evidence in the Alps, and 

 this is somewhat remarkable, for blue, as a colour, is 

 not so strikingly conspicuous as red or yellow. 



The colours of Alpine flowers have been the 

 subject of repeated investigations at the hands of 

 botanists, especially in recent years. At one time it 

 was thought that there was actually a larger percent- 

 age of blue-flowered plants within the Alpine zone 

 than in the plains. This would appear probable, 

 when we remember that, in addition to many Gentians, 

 other blue- or purple-flowered plants are abundant, 



