PARK AND CEMETERY. 
780 
GENTIANS OF OUR NORTH-EASTERN STATES 
Gentians have ever had many admir- 
ers. Very many of the 200 species of 
gentians are cultivated in Europe as or- 
namentals. In this country they have 
received comparatively little attention. 
Of the 200 species of this genus, most 
are European or Asiatic, only about 40 
or 50 being American. Of these I pro- 
pose to describe nine species, most of 
the balance being western. But before 
giving descriptions I wish to note that 
there are practically three groups as to 
regard to culture, and I think it well 
to first describe the methods by which 
the first group maj' be cultivated more 
or less successfully. 
Section 1. Fringed Annual Species. 
This is an exceedingly handsome 
group and one which very many peo- 
ple have vainly tried to cultivate. After 
many years spent in the study of this 
group, I have learned the following 
about their characteristics which may 
throw some light upon their successful 
culture : 
While the Fringed Gentians are 
among the latest of all plants to flower, 
and ripen their seeds in a very low tem- 
perature, the green pods are not hardy 
enough to endure a long-continued, or 
very severe, freeze. Just as sure as a 
heavy freeze comes after the seed pods 
have formed, and before the seed pods 
have perfected, every seed will be 
ruined beyond redemption, and will un- 
der no circumstances germinate. The 
seeds of this group are covered with a 
sort of down or fur, and are black or 
a very dark purple. The seeds that 
will not grow are very small and very 
light in weight. 
These seeds ripen late in the season 
if the severe freezing does not destroy 
their germinating powers, and by the 
time they ripen the ground is covered 
with snow. As the pods slowly open 
the seeds fall out upon the snow, and 
as the snow melts they slowly settle 
through it until they reach the cool 
moist earth very late in the winter, be- 
ing ready to germinate in earliest 
spririg, when the temperature is still 
very low and the ground still cool and 
moist, the plants being well developed 
before the dry hot summer weather be- 
gins. Therefore, if we wish to suc- 
cessfully grow this group, we must 
imitate natural conditions as much as 
possible by sowing upon the snow, in 
early winter, freshly gathered, well 
ripened seed. 
The Fringed Gentians grow on both 
By Jf'ilfred A. Brotherton, 
Botanist, Rochester. Mich. 
moist, mucky land and on low, sandy 
plains where the water level is within 
about a foot from the surface in dry 
hot weather. Both these soils are very 
porous in dry seasons. 
1 have found them growing under 
trees in shady swamps, or in swamps 
where the only shade is a scanty growth 
of low slender shrubs, on low open 
sandy fields, even, occasionally, in clay 
lands, and in low marsh areas amidst 
a very dense and heavy growth of 
coarse hedges, in each location seeming 
to flourish well. Still the largest plants 
I ever saw were growing on low sandy 
plains. They seem to flourish about 
lakes, streams and springs. 
Hence, after one carefully considers 
all these facts, I see no reason why he 
may not succeed in successfully grow- 
ing them. With this by way of intro- 
duction, I shall proceed to describe 
some of our native American Gentians. 
Large Fringed Gentian (Gentiana Cri- 
nita Froel.). 
This species is one of the most beau- 
tiful of the genus, and is the one the 
most people have failed in growing suc- 
cessfully. I see no way of failing if 
they pay attention to my remarks at 
the beginning of this article. Without 
doubt some one may find a thoroughly 
successful means of growing this ele- 
gant species, as some are successfully 
growing the Trailing Arbutus. 
The Large Fringed Gentian grows 
from 1 to 3 feet high, leafy, and usu- 
ally much branching, the branches usu- 
ally ascending at an acute angle from 
the stem ; stem and branches somewhat 
4-angled, seldom purple. Lowest leaves 
at the root, obovate, obtuse ; upper leaves 
all opposite, as in other Gentians, lan- 
ceolate and oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 3 
inches long, acute or acuminate at apex, 
sessile by a rounded or sub-cordate base. 
The flowers are borne on the long slen- 
der peduncles terminating the many 
branches, often very numerous on the 
plant, on a very large plant 100 or more. 
Each flower is about 2 inches in length, 
usually 4-parted, that is, with four sepals 
and 4 sepals. Calyx conspicuously 4- 
winged. Corolla deep purplish-blue, or 
sometimes pure white. Petals beauti- 
fully deeply fringed; Range, Quebec to 
Minnesota, south to Georgia and Iowa. 
The Smaller Fringed Gentian (Gentiana 
Detonsa Rottb.). 
Nearly or quite as handsome as the 
preceding species. Plant about a foot 
tall, somewhat to considerably branched, 
the branches usually curving at begin- 
ning; stem and branches usually dark 
purple. The rosulate root-leaves, spat- 
ulate and olhuse ; stem-leaves, linear or 
lanceolate, long and narrow, much 
larger than root-leaves. Flowers also 
long-stalked, somewhat smaller than 
those of the last, 4 to 6-parter, usually 
4-parted. Calyxlobes, lanceolate. The 
caly.x is more winged than that of the 
last, of a different form. Corolla dark 
purplish-blue, narrow-bell shaped, its 
lobes spatulate-oblong, much less 
fringed than the larger species. 1 am 
describing this species from memory to 
a large e.xtent, and there are some de- 
tails I cannot just recollect, as it is 
about twenty years since 1 saw this 
plant. When I was a boy it was quite 
abundant in southeastern Michigan, but 
in my locality it has disappeared before 
pasturing and draining, so that I have 
not met it in many years. It is evi- 
dently much less able to resist rough 
usage than the Larger Fringed Gentian 
is. As I remember it, the branches 
mostly started from near the ground, 
curving outward from where they first 
left the main stem. This habit, the pur- 
ple stem, and the peculiarly winged 
calyx, which is conspicuously different 
from the first species, readily distin- 
guish it from the first species, even when 
the flowers are not open. I am exceed- 
ingly sorry it has disappeared from my 
own locality. It should be carefully 
preserved where it yet remains. Grows 
usually in wet, mucky soils, in swamps 
and marshes. Range, from Newfound- 
land to Alaska, Anticosta, New York, 
to Minnesota, South Dakota and in the 
Rocky Mountains, and Sierra Nevada. 
Also in Europe. Sometimes incorrectly 
called Gentiana serrata. 
The same remarks as to cultivating 
first species apply to this also. 
Section 2. Annual or Biennial, flowers 
not fringed, seeds round. 
Five-Flowered Gentian (Gentiana quin- 
quefolia L., Gentiana quinque- 
flora L.). 
About 1 foot tall, stem four-angled, 
branching ; root leaves spatulate, obtuse. 
Stem leaves ovate, acute, clasping, 
rounded or sub-cordate at base. Flow- 
ers on short, slender stalks, in groups 
of 4 to 7 (generally 5), at ends of 
branches, tubular, bell-shaped, bright 
blue, rather small, about three-quarters 
of an inch long, but pretty. Seeds 
round, as also in the next, very unlike 
