A large family, widely distributed, most abundant in temperate regions;
smooth herbs, with colorless, bitter juice; leaves toothless, usually
opposite, without leaf-stalks or stipules; flowers regular; calyx four
to twelve-toothed; corolla with united lobes, twisted or overlapping
in the bud, of the same number as the calyx-teeth; stamens inserted
on the tube or throat of the corolla, as many as its lobes, alternate
with them; ovary superior, mostly one-celled, with a single style or
none, and one or two stigmas; fruit a capsule, mostly with two valves,
containing many seeds. These plants were named for King Gentius of
Illyria, said to have discovered their medicinal value.
There are several kinds of Frasera, North American, all but one
western; herbs, with thick, bitter, woody roots; leaves opposite or in
whorls; flowers numerous; corolla wheel-shaped, with four divisions,
each with one or two fringed glands and sometimes also a fringed crown
at base; stamens on the base of the corolla, with oblong, swinging
anthers, the filaments often united at base; ovary egg-shaped, tapering
to a slender style, with a small, more or less two-lobed, stigma;
capsule leathery, egg-shaped, with flattish seeds.
[Sidenote: =Columbo, Deer's Tongue=
_Fràsera speciòsa_
=Greenish-white
Spring, summer, autumn
West, etc.=]
A handsome plant, though rather coarse, from two to six feet tall, with
a pale glossy stem, very stout, sometimes over two inches across at the
base, and very smooth, pale green leaves, in whorls of four and six,
the lower ones sometimes a foot long. The flowers are mixed with the
leaves all along the upper part of the stem, but mostly crowded at the
top in a pyramidal cluster about six inches long, and are each nearly
an inch and a half across, with a greenish or bluish-white corolla,
the lobes bordered with violet and dotted with purple, and on each
lobe two glands covered by a fringed flap, resembling a small petal,
these fringes forming a sort of cross on the corolla. The four stamens
stand stiffly out between the corolla-lobes and the general effect
of the flower is so symmetrical that it suggests an architectural or
ecclesiastical ornament. Though the flowers are not bright, this plant
is decorative on account of its luxuriant size and pale foliage, and
if Mr. Burbank could make the flowers clear white or purple it would be
magnificent. It grows in the western mountains, as far east as Dakota
and New Mexico. The finest I ever saw were on an open slope, in a high
pass in the Wasatch Mountains, where they reared their pale spires
proudly far above the surrounding herbage.
[Illustration: Columbo--Frasera speciosa.]
[Sidenote: =Small Columbo=
_Fràsera nitìda_
=Bluish-white
Summer
Cal., Oreg.=]
Quite a pretty plant, too colorless to be effective at a distance, but
not coarse, with a smooth, pale stem, over a foot tall, and smooth,
dull, bluish-green leaves, slightly stiffish, prettily bordered with
white, mostly in a clump near the base. The flowers are about half an
inch across, shaped like the last; with bluish-white petals, specked
with dull-purple, with a green line on the outside, with one green
gland near the center, fringed all around; large whitish anthers,
becoming pinkish, and a white pistil.
There are a good many kinds of Erythraea, widely distributed, usually
with red or pink flowers; calyx with five or four, narrow lobes, or
divisions; corolla salver-form, with five or four lobes; anthers
twisting spirally after shedding their pollen; stigmas two, oblong or
fan-shaped. The Greek name means "red" and the common name, Centaury,
from the Latin, meaning "a hundred gold pieces," alludes to the
supposedly valuable medicinal properties of these plants.
[Sidenote: =Canchalagua, California Centaury=
_Erythraèa venústa (Centaurium)_
=Pink
Spring, summer
California=]
From three to twelve inches tall, with apple-green leaves, mostly on
the stems, smooth and thin in texture, and flowers an inch or more
across, a very vivid shade of purplish-pink, with a yellow or white
"eye," bright yellow anthers and green pistil. These are attractive,
because they look so gay and cheerful, but the color is a little
crude. The flowers are not so large in Yosemite as they are in some
places, such as Point Loma, but are very numerous and cover large
patches with brilliant color. These plants are called Canchalagua by
Spanish-Californians, who use them medicinally.
[Illustration: Canchalagua--Erythraea venusta.]
[Illustration: Small Columbo--Frasera nitida.]
[Sidenote: =Tall Centaury=
_Erythraèa exaltàta (E. Douglasii) (Centaurium)_
=Pink
Spring, summer, autumn
West, etc.=]
This has a slender, leafy stem, from a few inches to over a foot tall,
and flowers not so large as the last, but pretty and gay, about half
an inch across, bright pink with a distinct white "eye." This grows in
sandy soil, as far east as Wyoming.
There are many kinds of Gentiana, of northern regions and the Andes;
calyx tubular, usually with five teeth; corolla variously shaped with
from four to seven lobes, often fringed, or with folds between the
teeth; style short or lacking; stigma two-lipped.
[Sidenote: =Northern Gentian=
_Gentiàna acùta_
=Purple
Summer
West, etc.=]
A pretty plant, with leafy, often branching stems, from six to twenty
inches tall, and numerous flowers, with stiff pedicels and leafy
bracts, forming several small clusters along the upper part of the
stem. They are each about half an inch long, various shades of purple
or blue, sometimes white, and easily recognized by the little crown of
white fringe in the throat of the rather tubular, five-lobed corolla.
These plants have very small roots, so that it is difficult to pick
them without pulling them up, and as they are annuals they are easily
exterminated. They are common in northern mountains, in moist places
across the continent, and in Europe and Asia.
[Sidenote: =Gentian=
_Gentiàna propínqua_
=Purple
Summer
Northwest=]
This has smooth, thin leaves and pretty flowers, three-quarters of an
inch long, with lilac or purple corollas, satiny in texture, with four
lobes, pointed at the tips and more or less fringed. This grows in high
mountains.
[Sidenote: =Blue Gentian=
_Gentiàna calycòsa_
=Blue
Autumn
Northwest=]
A handsome perennial, with leafy stems, from five to fifteen inches
tall, bearing one or several, fine flowers at the top. They are an inch
and a half long, with a bright blue corolla, dotted with green, with
plaited folds and small teeth between the five lobes. This has been
found in Yosemite, but is more common at Lake Tahoe. There are many
other handsome large Blue Gentians in the West. _G. lùtea_, with yellow
flowers, is the German kind from which the well-known drug, gentian, is
made.
[Illustration: Tall Centaury--Erythraea exaltata.
Northern Gentian--Gentiana acuta.