56 TYPICAL FLOWERS OF ALPINE PASTURES 



tube. The arrangement for cross-fertilisation here is 

 similar to that described in the case of the Common 

 Bell Gentian : except that both the anthers and 

 stigmas are ripe at the same time, or the stigmas 

 may mature slightly before the anthers. 



The flowers of the Field Gentian, like those of the 

 Snow Gentian, are extremely sensitive to light. They 

 are usually closed in the absence of bright sunlight. 



The Delicate Gentian. 



The Delicate Gentian {Gentiana tenella, Rothb.) 

 resembles the Snow Gentian somewhat in habit. It 

 is a dwarf plant, with a small rosette of leaves on the 

 surface of the soil, from which numerous erect 

 branches arise, often comparatively long and leafless. 

 Each branch ends, as a rule, in a single flower. 



Scales occur at the mouth of the corolla tube, 

 which are similar to those found in the Field Gentian, 

 but shorter and less finely divided. The fertilisation 

 of the flower is effected by the same agency, and 

 the scales appear to perform the same function as in 

 those found in the Field Gentian. In the Delicate 

 Gentian, both the male and female organs mature 

 simultaneously. 



The Yellow- and Red-flowered Gentians. 



The Swiss Alpine Gentians with yellow and red 

 flowers difi'er in many remarkable respects from the 

 blue-flowered species, which we have just been con- 



