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G E N T I A N A campeftris.
Field Gentian.
-P JE N T A N I) R IA Digynta»
G en. Char. Cor. of one petal. Capfule fuperior]
orte-celled, two-valved, with two longitudinal re.
ceptacles.
Spec. C har. Corolla four-cleft, bearded in the ori.
fice. Two outer fegments of the calyx very lar?e.
S yn. Gentiana campeftris. Linn. Sp. PI. 3 3 4 . Hud]}
FI. An. 103. With. Bot. Arr. 262. Sibth. Oxon.86.1
G. prateniis florg lanuginofo. Raii Syn. 275 ?
^ E received this from near Bury, along with the precedes
grows in paftures, more particularly towards the fea j
nor is it fo much confined to a lime-ftone foil as that fpe-
cies. It is annual, flowering in September and October.
This in hahit is much like the laft, though rather paler in
colour altogether, and never fo ta ll: the Item being; lefs drawn
up, the flowers fewer, and on longer flower-ftalks, they appear
more corymbofe. But the eflential and all-fufficient mark of I
diftindhion js in the calyx being deeply divided into 4 unequal
fegments, 2 of which are external, oppofite, oval, very large,
completely enfolding and concealing the 2 others, which are
lanceolate and not a fifth part fo broad. This character was
noted by Linnaeus in Flo. Lapponica, and is adopted by Haller.
Surely it ought to have been mentioned in Sp. PI. But it is
ftill more wonderful that Linnaeus Ihould have doubted whe'
ther this were a fufficient diflindtion.
When we prefume ours to be the above plant of Ray, we
by no means believe it to be alfo that of Bauhin, which is moll
probably (as all authors fuppofe) G. Amarella.