652 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS gentiana 



shining, and usually concave leaves, 

 and bright rosy flowers during the 

 summer months. It is a pretty little 

 rock plant. 



Culture <te. as above. Increased by 

 seeds and division. 



E. Muhlenbergi. — A pretty Californian 

 rock plant 6-8 in. high, vi^ith bluntly 

 oblong leaves, or lance-shaped ones 

 higher up the stems. The deep pink 

 flovi'ers with a white starry centre are 

 about Z^ in. across, and appear in early 

 sunimer, lasting some weeks. M. venusta 

 is another Californian species, 6-10 in. 

 high, with rosy star-shaped flowers, but 

 it is an annual. 



Culture &c. as above. 



GENTIANA (Gentian).— This genus 

 contains about 180 species of annual or 

 perennial herbs with opposite and often 

 stalkless leaves. Flowers axillary and 

 terminal, sessile, or rarely stalked, erect, 

 with or without 2 bracteoles, often showy, 

 and blue, violet, purple, yellow, or white 

 in colour. Calyx tubular, 5- (rarely 4- or 

 6-7-) cleft, winged, keeled, or naked, some- 

 times spafchaceous. Corolla salver- or 

 funnel-shaped or tubular bell-shaped, hav- 

 ing the throat of the tube naked or fur>- 

 nished with scales or hairs ; lobes 5 (rarely 

 4 or 6-7), spreading, twisted. Stamens 

 equal in number to the corolla lobes, 

 attached to the tube, enclosed or rarely 

 protruding. Ovary 1-celled ; stigma 2- 

 lobed. Fruit a sessile or stalked, many- 

 seeded capsule. 



Culture amd Propagation. — The Gen- 

 tians are widely distributed, chiefly 

 throughout the north temperate hemi- 

 sphere, and are mostly found growing on 

 the mountain sides at various elevations, 

 some growing in chalky soUs, some not. 

 Many of the species unfortunately are 

 somewhat dif&oult to grow weU in British 

 gardens, notwithstanding every effort to 

 closely imitate their natural conditions. 

 It is possible that this imitation of nature 

 may in a good measure account for the 

 failures, as it is likely the real essentials of 

 success are not imitated at all. The soil 

 is the chief thing imitated, but experience 

 proves that plants which, for instance, 

 grow luxuriantly on challcy soils in a 

 state of nature promptly die in chalky 

 soils when cultivated, and do much better 

 without chaUi at all as a matter of fact. 

 The culture of a collection of various 

 species of Gentian is therefore more or 



less an experimental matter, and some 

 will be found to thrive where others fail. 

 For general purposes, a rich, deep, sandy 

 loam with a little peat and leaf mould in 

 moist and not too sunny situations will 

 suit Gentians. There should always be a 

 free circulation of air, and it is safer to 

 leave the plants alone for several years, as 

 many wiU not bear disturbing. In fact, 

 frequent disturbance with the object of 

 increasing the number of plants is pro- 

 bably one of the causes of failure, and 

 when plants are doing well they are best 

 left alone. It is easy to add fresh soil 

 from time to time, and sooner than risk 

 losing the whole plant by dividing, it is 

 better to obtain seeds and if possible sow 

 them where they are intended to bloom. 

 The soil can be prepared and protected by- 

 sheets of glass or small handlights. The 

 seeds, which should be sown as soon as 

 ripe, germinate very slowly and require 

 careful attention, so that the soil never 

 becomes dry or parched for want of water. 

 Gentians are essentially plants for the 

 rock garden, and where they flourish they 

 shed in a small way a glow of the Alpine 

 flora. Many of the species described 

 below are very rare. G. Ama/rella (the 

 Felwort), O. germanica, and O. canvpestris 

 are native annuals with lilac, blue, or 

 rarely white flowers. 



G. acaulis {Gentianella). — A brilliant 

 and easily grown species, 2-4 in. high, 

 native of the Alps and Pyrenees, with 

 4-angled 1-flowered stems and tufts of 

 ovate lance-shaped leaves at the base. 

 Flowers from March to May, blue, about 

 2 in. deep, broadly bell-shaped, with 5 

 bands of yellow, dotted inside, and spread- 

 ing, obtuse segments. There are many 

 varieties of G. acaulis with flowers vary- 

 ing in colour from intense blue to white, 

 all the forms except the white being 

 spotted with blue on a greenish or yellow- 

 ish ground in the throat. O. alpina is a 

 distinct variety with smaU broad leaves ; 

 but there are others called albomarginaia. 

 alboccerulea, azurea, ccelestina &c., and 

 one called angustifolia with narrower 

 leaves than the type. G. Clusi from 

 Switzerland resembles G. acaulis. It has 

 lance- shaped acute leaves in rosettes, and 

 solitary large dark blue flowers. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species flourishes in deep, moist, loamy 

 soil and wiU stand being divided much 

 better than any other species. Eajly 



