442 GENTIANACE.E microcala 



Greer LXII GENTIANACE^ Dumort. Anal. Fam. 20. 



Smooth herbs with bitter colorless juice, opposite, rarely 

 alternate or verticillate, leaves without stipules, and perfect 

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

 marcescent. 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, alter- 

 nate with them, inserted on its tube; the 2-celled anthers 

 opening longitudinally. Ovary free, one-celled, rarely 2-celled; 

 with two parietal placental, or the whole parietes ovuliferous. 

 Style single, with usually two-lobed or two-lamellate stigma. 

 Capsule dehiscent through the placentae. Seeds indefinitely 

 numerous, rarely few. commonly small, anatropous, with a 

 minute embryo in fleshy albumen. 



Suborder i Gentiane^e 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-angled : 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 2 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 2 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 Menyanthe^e 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, Gentianese DC. Prodr. ix 38. Leaves always sim- 

 ple and entire, sessile, never alternate except in Sivertia. 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-sal verform 

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

 unchanged in age. Style filiform, deciduous : stigma as if com- 

 pressed-capitate but of 2 fan- shaped lobes that are at first con- 

 nivent, but at length separate. Seeds numerous, with close and 

 foveolate coat. 



