PLATE CXVII. 



GENTIANA PURPUREA. 



Purple flowered Gentian. 



CLASS V. ORDER II. 

 PESTANDRIA D1GYNIA. Five Chives. Two Pointals. 



GENERIC 



Calyx. Perianthium quinquepartitum, acu- 

 tum, perfiftens ; laciniis oblongis. 



Corolla. Petalum unicum, inferne tubula- 

 tum, imperforatum, fuperne quinquefidum, 

 planum, marcescens; ngura varia. 



Stamina. Filamenta qu'mque, fubulata, corolla 

 breviora. Antherae fimplices. 



Pistilla. Germen oblongum, cylindraceum, 

 longitudine ftaminum. Styli nulli. Stig- 

 mata duo, ovata. 



Pericarpium. Capfula oblonga, teres acumi- 

 nata, apice leviter bifida, unilocularis, bi- 

 valvis. 



Semina numerofa, parva. Receptacula duo, 

 fingula valvulae loDgitudinaliter adnatae. 



CHARACTER. 



Empalement. Cup five divifions, fharp and 

 permanent; fegments oblong. 



Blossom. Petal only one, lower part tubular, 

 and close; upper part five-cleft, flat, wi- 

 thering, and varioufly fhaped. 



Chives. Five threads, awl -fhaped, fhorter than 

 the bloffom. Tips fimple. 



Pointals. Seed bud oblong, cylindrical, as 

 long as the chives. Shafts none. Summits 

 two, egg-fhaped. 



Seed-vessel. Capfule oblong, cylindrical, ta- 

 pering, flightly cleft at the end, one-celled, 

 and two valves. 



Seeds numerous and fmall. Receptacles two, 

 joined to each valve longitudinally. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



Gentiana corollis campanulatis, 6-J fidis, atro- 

 purpureis, pun&atis, verticillatis; calycibus 

 membranaceis, fub-fpathaceis, truncatis. 



Gentian with bell- fhaped blofToms, 6-7 cleft, 

 deep purple, dotted and whorled; empale- 

 ment fkinny, almoft fheathed, and appear- 

 ing cut off at the ends. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1. The Empalement. 



2. A Blofiom, complete. 



3. The fame cut open, to fhew the fituation of the Chives. 



4. Half the Seed-bud fplit longitudinally, to Hugs its interior firucture. 



5. A Seed-veffel, nearly ripe. 



As a native of the Helvetian Alps, the Purple flowered Gentian is confequently, a hardy plant with 

 us, requiring only to be planted in a light foil; may be increafed from the feeds, which are produced 

 in abundance, or by parting the root in autumn. The feeds are perfected, within a fortnight after 

 the flower is decayed; and fhould be fown on light fandy peat, covering them very flightly, as foon 

 as poffible after they have been dried. 



There appears a ftrange variety of opinions amongft Botanifb concerning this, and two other fpe- 

 cies of Gentian, the Punftata and the Pannonica; which, as many have obferved, although denied 

 by others, are only varieties of each other ; furely, a flight variation in height, the fhape of the divi- 

 fions of the border, or what is of lefs confequence, (as they vary, in that regard fo much, on die fame 

 plant) their number; are not of fufficient weight to form a fpecific diftinction. 



This plant is faid, in the Hort. Kew. to have been introduced in the year 1768 by ProfefTor de 

 SaulTure: from what caufe, we cannot judge, if it is fo old an inhabitant, why it fhould not be more 

 plentiful with us; as at prefent few collections poflefs it, and it is fold at a very hijgh price. Our 

 drawing was made at the Nurfery, Hammerfmith. 



