Herbs, annual, erect, slender, sparingly branched, the branches filiform, tetragonal. Leaves cauline, opposite, ternate or four per node, sessile, small, linear to lanceolate, rarely ovate to rotund. Inflorescences terminal, sometimes axillary, corymbiform to cymose, simple or compound dichasia or loosely panicu-late. Flowers small, usually 5-merous, bracteate, white, pink, or yellow; calyx usually deeply lobed, the lobes narrow, acute, carinate; corolla tubular to in-fundibular, the tube often constricted slightly below the throat, the lobes small, contorted, obovate, ovate to lanceolate; stamens usually included, inserted at This content downloaded from 192.104.39.2 on Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:35 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions1975] ELIAS & ROBYNS FLORA OF PANAMA (Family 160. Gentianaceae) 63 or near the middle of the corolla tube, the filaments filiform, short, the anthers erect, oblong to ovate, bilobate at the base, the connective often conspicuous, terminating into a short mucro; pistil included, the ovary usually ovoid, 1-celled but appearing 2-celled by the strongly intruding placentae, the style filiform, short, the stigma capitate to short clavate. Capsules surrounded by the marces-cent calyx, ovate to fusiform, septicidally 2-valvate; seeds numerous, small, ir-regular, foveolate. Pollen grains in monads, radially symmetrical, isopolar, sub-prolate, the amb + rounded, 28-29 x 18-23 microns, 3-colporate, the colpi relatively long with tapering + acute ends, the colpus membrane smooth, the ora lolongate, the diameter of microns; exine 2 microns thick; sexine thicker than nexine, finely reticulate or OL-pattern (C. tenella).
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Herbs or small shrubs, sometimes branched. Leaves opposite or verticillate, sessile or subsessile, 1-5-veined. Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal, dichasial panicles. Flowers (4-)5-merous, sometimes heterostylous; calyx deeply (4-)5-lobed, lobes imbricate, often weakly winged, inside at base some very small glands; corolla tubular or salver-shaped, regularly (4-)5-lobed; stamens (4-)5, inserted on various levels in corolla tube, filaments short, anthers sagittate, ellipsoid or oblongoid, dorsifixed or sometimes basifixed, connective sometimes broadened; pollen in monads; stigma capitate or 2-lobed. Fruit a capsule with persistent calyx, ovoid-ellipsoid; seeds globose to irregular angular.
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