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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
GENUS III. 
THE GENTIAN. (Gentian a, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA. 
Generic Character. —Calyx four or five-cleft. Corolla funnel-shaped, or hypocrateriform, four or five-cleft, with the orifice naked. 
Stamens five. Stigma two-lobed. Seed not bordered. {R. Br.) 
Description, &c. —All the Gentians are beautiful herbaceous plants, and all are intensely bitter in taste, and 
powerfully tonic in quality. The genus takes its name from Gentius, King of Illyria, who, according to Pliny, 
was the first who discovered the medicinal properties of G. lutea, a species which is not a native of Great 
Britain, but the roots of which are imported largely by the druggists for their strengthening properties. 
1.—THE MARSH GENTIAN, OR CALATHIAN VIOLET. (Gentiana Pneumonanthe, Lin.) 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 20 ; 2nd ed., t. 373. 
Specific Character. —Corolla bell-shaped, five-cleft. Flowers stalked. Leaves linear. {Smith.) 
Description, &c.— This beautiful plant is generally found on moist heaths in the north of England, but it is 
not very abundant. It is a perennial, and it flowers in August. Its flowers are of a brilliant dark blue, with 
a yellow stripe up each segment of the corolla. The leaves are linear. 
THE DWARF GENTIAN. (G. acaulis, Lin.) 
This brilliant little plant only grows a few inches from the ground, but the intense brightness of its blue never 
fails to excite admiration wherever it is seen. It is a perennial, and flowers in June and July. It is probably 
not a true native. 
THE SPRING GENTIAN. (G. verna, Lin.) 
This is another brilliant blue flower, with four distinct curiously-shaped petals, and dense tufts of radical 
leaves. It is found chiefly in Teesdale Forest, Durham. It is a perennial, and flowers in April. 
THE DWARF ALPINE GENTIAN. (G. nivalis, Lin.) 
This is quite a miniature plant, which is only found on the summit of the highest mountains in Scotland, close 
to the limits of the perpetual snow. It is an annual, and flowers in August. 
THE AUTUMNAL GENTIAN. (G. Amarella, Lin.) 
This species has not the beautiful blue that distinguishes the other kinds. It is only found in pastures on 
calcareous soils. It is an annual, and flowers in August and September, 
THE FIELD GENTIAN. (G. campestris, Lin.) 
This is the commonest of all the British species, but it is never found on calcareous soils, and generally grows 
near the sea. It is an annual, and flowers in September. The bitter of this species is so aromatic, that, in 
Sweden, it is frequently used instead of hops. 
GENUS IV. 
THE MARSH FELWORT. (Swertia, Lin.) 
Lin. Syst. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA. 
Description, Sic. —This plant is a very doubtful native, as it was only found once in Wales, and had probably 
been thrown from some garden. I have not, therefore, thought it necessary to describe it at length. 
