Gentianaceae A.L. de Jussieu
Gentian family.
Gentianaceae, gentian family.
Vegetative morphology. Plants (2–)4–15(–30) cm high; glabrous herbs with acrid, watery juice, simple, opposite leaves, regular 4–5(-6)-merous blue or white flowers and a 2-valved capsule containing many small seeds. Taproot present. Roots yellow, or pallid-brown. Aerial stems erect, or ascending (lateral branches); glabrous. Leaves distributed along the stems, or basal in a rosette; opposite. Petioles absent. Leaf blade bases truncate, or attenuate (somewhat clasping the stem). Blades 4–20(–35) mm long; 1–6(–10) mm wide. Blades spreading; elliptic, or lanceolate, or spatulate (basal leaves), or linear (-lanceolate, stem leaves); flat; with inconspicuous veins, or appearing single-veined, or veins reticulate. Blades adaxial surface glabrous. Blades abaxial surface glabrous. Blade margins entire. Leaf apices acuminate, or acute, or obtuse.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems conspicuously taller than the leaves; with leaves; glabrous. Flowers solitary, or in inflorescences. Inflorescence cymose (if applicable). Flowers small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length, or medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length, or large, more than 15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx sepals 4, or 5; fused (in the lower half, or only at the base); 4.5–15 mm long. Calyx green; tubular, or rotate; 4-lobed to 5-lobed (-6 rarely); without sessile glands; glabrous. Petals fused; 4–5 (-6); white (more rarely), or blue; 5–25 mm long. Corolla tubular, or rotate; 4-lobed, or 5-lobed (rarely 6). Stamens 4, or 5; fused to the corolla; filaments glabrous. Anthers purple, or yellow, or blue; stout-cylindrical, or subglobose; 0.4–0.6(–1) mm long. Nectaries present (with long hairs on the tops). Carpels syncarpous; 2. Ovaries glabrous. Placentation parietal. Ovules numerous. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; a capsule; dehiscent. Fruit 8–25 mm long; 2–4 mm wide; yellowish, or brown; glabrous. Seeds 0.4–1 mm long; brown; with surfaces smooth (Cronquist (1981), page 872, illustrates a seed for the family as having numerous small papillae. In Arctic species the suggeston of such texture is seen at 40X, if at all).
Distribution. Low arctic (in the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago). Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Arctic Islands: Banks, Victoria, Somerset.
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: wet meadows, lake shores, tundra, slopes, seashores; imperfectly drained moist areas, or dry; rocks, gravel, sand, till, moss; with low organic content, or with high organic content, or peat.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).