4^2 ' GENTIANACEAE microcala 



Order LXIi' GENTIANACEAE Dumort. Anal. Earn. 20. 



Smooth herbs with bitter colorless juice, opposite,, rarely al- 

 ternate or verticillate, leaves without stipules, and perfect regu- 

 lar flowers. Calyx mostly 4-12-lobed or -toothed, often marces- 

 cent. Corolla gamopetalous, 4-12-lobed or -toothed, convolute 

 or imbricated and usually twisted in the bud, often marcescent. 

 Stamens as many as lobes of the corolla, alternate with them, 

 inserted on its tube; the S-celled anthers opening longitudinally. 

 Ovary free, one-celled, rarely 3-celled; with two parietal pla- 

 centae, or the whole parietes ovuliferous. Style single, with 

 usually two-lobed or two-lamellate stigma. Capsule dehisceht 

 through the placentae. Seeds indefinitely numerous, rarely few, 

 commonly small, anatropous, with a minute embryo in fleshy al- 

 bumen. 



Suborder i Gentianeae. Leaves always simple and entire. 

 Lobes of the corolla never valvate in the bud. 



* Style filiform, usually deciduous from the capsule. 



1 Microcala Calyx 4-toothed and 4-angIed : anthers cordate-ovate and 



unchanged in age. 



2 Erythraea Calyx 5-parted, or sometimes 4-parted : anthers oblong or 



linear, twisting spirally in 1 or 3 turns in age. 



* * Style short or subulate and persistent, or none. 

 "*" Corolla without nectariferous pits or large glands. 



3 Gentiana Corolla funnelform, campanulate or salverform : seeds very 



numerous and small, 



■^ "^ Corolla with 1 or 3 nectariferous pits or spots, or an adnate 

 scale to each lobe. 



4 Swertia Corolla rotate, usually 5-parted : capsule ovate : seeds com- 



paratively large. 



5 Frasera Corolla rotate, 4-parted : seeds comparatively few and large. 



Suborder ii Menyantheae. Leaves often crenate or trifolio- 

 late, all alternate and petioled. Corolla induplicate-valvate in 

 the bud. 



6 Menyanthes Corolla somewhat funnelform or campanulate, 5-cleft. 

 Suborder 1, Gentianeae DC. Prodr. ix, 38. Leaves always sim- 

 ple and entire, sessile, never alternate except in Swertia. Corolla 

 never valvate in the bud. 



1 MICROCALA Link & Hoffm. Fl. Port, i, 359. 



Little annuals with opposite entire sessile leaves and yellow 

 flowers. Calyx 4-toothed and 4-angled. Corolla short-salver- 

 form bearing the 4 short stamens in its throat : anthers cordate- 

 ovate, unchanged in age. Style filiform, deciduous: stigma as 

 if eompressed-capitate but of 2 fan-shaped lobes that are at first 

 connivent, but at length separate. Seeds numerous, with close 

 and foveolate coat. 



