Ceylon Gentian is a clustered herb with stem
4-angular, angles narrowly winged. Flower blue, 3.5 mm wide; tube 1.2
cm; petals 5, nearly round, to 2 x 2 mm, twisted, with folds in
between. Sepals are 5, triangular, hairless, keeled, with a short sharp
point, valvate. Stamens are 5, filaments elliptically dilated in the
middle. Flowers are borne in 1-3-flowered cymes, up to 2 cm; bracts to
0.7 mm; flower-cluster-stalk up to 1.5 cm. Leaves are ovate, up to 4 x
3 mm, estipulate, stalkless, papery, hairless, 3-ribbed, midvein
thickened, fused at base, base rounded, tip pointed, with a short sharp
point, basal (rosette) leaves are smaller than stem leaves. Capsule
oblong-flat, to 4.5 x 2.5 mm, surmounted by persistent sepals; stalk
longer than sepals. Ceylon Gentian is found in West & South India and
Sri Lanka.
Identification credit: Dinesh Valke, Kiranran R.
Photographed in Mulligūr, Tamil Nadu.
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The flower labeled Ceylon Gentian is ...