88 
THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
GENTIANA SUECICA Feoel. 
By C. E. Salmon, F.L.S. 
In 1796 Froelich (De Gentiana libellus , 92) subdivided G. cam- 
pestris L. into three varieties— succicct, germanica , and neapolitana ; 
with the last we are not now concerned. The more important 
characters of the other two are here translated and contrasted:— 
Suecica. Stem simple, becoming purple, with the second division 
longer than the rest. lloot-leaves longer than upper stem-leaves. 
Lower stem-leaves linear, a little broader towards the apex, rounded 
or obtuse ; middle , lanceolate, obtuse ; upper, dilated below, ovate, 
rather obtuse. Calgx with the two large segments ovate, obtuse. 
Corolla tube as long as calyx; lobes ovate, obtuse. 
Germanica « Stem simple or branched below, green or bluish- 
green, becoming purple at the base. Root-leaves much smaller than 
stem-leaves. Lower stem-leaves ovate obtuse, narrow at the base; 
upper, sessile free at the base, ovate, acute. Calyx with the two 
large segments subcordate or ovate, acute. Corolla tube a little 
shorter than calyx ; lobes ovate, rounded at apex. 
In 1892 S. Murbeck (Act. Hort. Berg. ii. no. 3, 10) adopted these 
two varieties and raised them to the rank of subspecies with the 
following diagnoses:— 
Suecica. “ Caul is, adjecto pedunculo floris terminalis, ex inter- 
nodiis 3-5 constructus ; internodia foliis plerumque multo longiora ; 
rami plerumque stricte erecti, uni- vel pauciflori. Folia caulina 
media et superiora lingulata vel oblonga, vel suprema ovato-lanceo- 
lata, in apice rotundata vel obtusa, modo summa acutiuscula ; caulina 
media erecta vel erecto-patula. Stigmata ovata. Floret a medio 
mense Junio ad finem Julii, in regionibus alpinis maximeque septen- 
trionalibus etiam Augusto.” 
Germanica. “ Caulis, adjecto pedunculo floris terminalis, ex 
internodiis 4-8 constructus, internodia foliis subbrcviora vel paullo 
longiora ; rami erecti vel suberecti, pauci- vel pluriflora. Folia 
caulina media et superiora lanceolata vel ovato-lanceolata ; in apice 
plus minus acuta yel summa acutissima. Stigmata lanceolata.— 
Floret a fine mensis Julii usque in Septembrem.” 
W. H. Beeby, in Journ. Bot. 1894, p. 1, called attention to 
Murbeck’s valuable article, and gave a resume of his studies: suecica 
is noted by Beeby as “ not known as British,” but he mentions 
that “ one of [his] Shetland gatherings approaches it in its very long 
intern odes.” 
In 1896 R. Wettstein (Denkscli. Matbemat.-Naturwiss. Kaiserl. 
Akad. Wissensch. lxiv. 322), in his Monograph on the European 
forms of the Endotricha section of Gentiana, wholeheartedly follows 
Murbeck as regards the two plants under discussion, and repeats his 
diagnosis practically word for word ; but he omits entirely the con¬ 
trasting characters respecting the erectness of branches and their 
flower-bearing capabilities. 
Dr. Murbeck recently examined some British examples of Gentians 
that I had collected, and has determined as G. suecica some speci- 
