ILLUSTRATED FLORA. 
VOL. III. 
Family 15. GENTIANACEAE Dumort. Anal. Fam. 20. 1820. 
GENTIAN FAMILY 
Bitter mostly quite glabrous herbs, with opposite (rarely verticillate) exstipu- 
late entire leaves, reduced to scales in Bartonia, and regular perfect flowers in 
terminal or axillary clusters, or solitary at the ends of the stem or branches. 
Calyx inferior, persistent, 4-12-lobed, -toothed or -divided (of 2 sepals in Obo- 
laria), the lobes imbricated or not meeting in the bud. Corolla gamopetalous, 
funnelform, campanulate, club-shaped or rotate, often marcescent, 4~12-lobed or 
-parted, the lobes convolute or imbricated in the bud. Stamens as many as the 
lobes of the corolla, alternate with them, inserted on the tube or throat; anthers 
2-celled, longitudinally dehiscent; filaments filiform, or dilated at the base. Disk 
none, or inconspicuous. Ovary superior in our genera, I-celled or partly 2-celled; 
ovules numerous, anatropous or amphitropous; style simple, or none; stigma entire, 
or 2-lobed, or 2-cleft. Capsule mostly dehiscent by 2 valves. Seeds globose, 
angular or compressed ; endosperm fleshy, copious; embryo small, terete or conic. 
About 70 genera and 700 species, widely distributed, most abundant in temperate regions. 
Leaves normal; corolla-lobes convolute in the bud. 
Style filiform ; anthers usually twisting or recurving when old. 
Corolla salverform. 1. Centaurium, 
Corolla rotate. 2. Sabbatia. 
Corolla campanulate-funnelform. 3. Eustoma, 
Style short, stout or none; anthers remaining straight. 
Corolla without nectariferous pits, glands or scales. 
Corolla funnelform, campanulate or clavate. 
Corolla without plaits in the sinuses ; calyx without an interior membrane. 
4. Gentiana. 
Corolla with plaits in the sinuses ; calyx with an interior membrane, 5. Dasystephana 
Corolla rotate. 6. Pleurogyna, 
1-2 nectariferous pits, glands or scales at the base of each corolla-lobe. 
Corolla rotate, a fringed gland at each lobe. . 9 Frasera, 
Corolla campanulate, spurred at the base. 8. Halenia. 
Leaves, at least those of the stem, reduced to scales; corolla-lobes imbricated in the bud. 
Calyx of 2 foliaceous spatulate sepals ; upper leaves normal. 9. Obolaria. 
Calyx of 4 lanceolate sepals; leaves all reduced to scales. 1o. Bartonia. 
1. CENTAURIUM Hill. Brit. Herb. 62. 1756. 
[EryvTHrAEA Neck, Elem. 2: 10. 1790.] ~ 
Herbs, mostly annual or biennial, with sessile or amplexicaul leaves, and small or middle 
sized, commonly numerous, pink, white or yellow flowers in cymes or spikes. Calyx tubular, 
5-4-lobed or -divided, the lobes or segments narrow, keeled. Corolla salverform, 5-4-lobed, 
the tube long or short, the lobes spreading, contorted, convolute in the bud. Stamens 5 or 4, 
inserted on the corolla-tube; filaments short-filiform; anthers linear or oblong, becoming 
spirally twisted. Ovary 1-celled, the placentae sometimes intruded; style filiform; stigma 
2-lobed. Capsule oblong-ovoid:or fusiform, 2-valved. Seed-coat reticulated. [Latin, 100 
gold pieces, with reference to its supposed medicinal value. ] : : : 
About 25 species, natives of the Old World, western North and South America, and in the: West 
Indies. Besides the following, about 8 others occur in the western and southwestern parts of the 
United States. Type species: Gentiana Centaurium L, 
Flowers spicate-racemose. : 1. C. spicatum, 
Flowers cymose or cymose-paniculate. 
Basal leaves tufted. 2. C. Centaurium. 
No tuft of basal leaves, 
Corolla-lobes 11%4’-2%4” long. 
