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THE GENTIAN FAMILY 35 
II. Centaury (Centaijrium). Flowers in forked clusters, pink ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 ; 
corolla-tube long and narrow with the limb salver-shaped ; anthers spirally coiled ; 
stigmas 2. 
III. Gentianella (MicrocAla). Minute plant, flowers few, in very loose clusters ; calyx tubular, 
4-lobed ; petals and stamens 4 ; stem branched only at the top. 
IV. Cicen'dia. Minute plant, flowers few, pink, in very loose clusters ; sepals 4, narrow and 
not united into a tube at the base ; petals and stamens 4 ; stem branched from the 
base. 
V. Gentian (Gentiana). Flowers solitary or in clusters, mauve or blue ; sepals, petals, and 
stamens usually 5 ; corolla funnel-, bell-, or salver-shaped, sometimes with the addition 
of small teeth between each lobe, sometimes fringed with hairs in the throat of the 
tube. 
VI. Bog-bean (Menyan'thes). Water plant. Flowers in clusters, white, broadly funnel- 
shaped ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 ; corolla-lobes densely covered with thick white 
hairs ; leaves divided to the base into 3 leaflets. 
Capsule indehiscent or splitting irregularly. 
VII. Nymphoides. Water plant. Flowers in stalkless umbels, star-like ; sepals, petals, and stamens 
5 ; corolla-throat fringed with hairs. 
I. YELLOW-WORT. (BLACKSTONIA. Huds.) — Flowers bright yellow, in terminal forked 
clusters, the central flower opening first (cymes). Calyx of 8 sepals, occasionally 6, united only 
at the base, inserted below and free from the seedcase (inferior) ; corolla of the same number of 
petals as sepals, united at the base into a short tube, and spreading into an 8- or 6-lobed limb, 
inserted below the seedcase (hypogynous) ; stamens 8 or 6, the same number as the sepals ; 
carpels 2, with 1 style and 2 stigmas each 2-lobed ; capsule opening by 2 valves by the splitting 
of the cell-walls (septicidal). Annual herbs with a bluish bloom (glaucous), and often with the 
stalkless opposite leaves united at the base (perfoliate). 
Perfoliate Yellow-wort, Yellow Centaury. (Blackstdnia perfoMta. Huds.)— 
The only British species. As just described. The brilliant yellow flowers, which are about f inch 
across, only opening in bright sunshine; the stem is 9-18 inches high, erect, and simple, 
with the root-leaves narrowing into stalks, and the stem-leaves in rather distant pairs, united 
at the base (connate), so that the stalk appears to pass through them (perfoliate). The whole 
plant is of a pale green covered with a bluish bloom and is rather fleshy. (Chlora perfoliata. Linn.) 
\Plate 13. 
Local, not uncommon in chalk and limestone districts, in dry pastures and waste places, in 
England and Ireland ; not found in Scotland. June — September. Annual. 
II. CENTAURY. (CENTAURIUM. Hill.) — Flowers rose, white, rarely yellow, opening only 
in bright sunshine, in terminal branched clusters, the central flower opening first (cymes). 
Calyx of 5, rarely 4 sepals, united at the base, free from and inserted below the seedcase 
(inferior) ; corolla of 5, rarely 4 petals, united into an elongated cylindrical tube and spreading 
into a 5- or 4-lobed salver-shaped limb, inserted below the seedcase (hypogynous) ; stamens 5, 
rarely 4, with the anthers spirally twisted after shedding their pollen, inserted in the corolla-tube 
(epi-petalous) ; carpels 2, with a single style and 2 stigmas ; fruit a capsule, 2-celled, opening 
at the top by 2 valves by the splitting of the cell-walls (septicidal). Herbs with opposite leaves 
often united at the base, and square stems. ( Erythrcea . Rencabn.) 
d 2 
