Gentianella calcis Glenny & Molloy

Plants polycarpic, 50–200 mm tall when in fl ower. Flowering stems decumbent, lateral only, 1–5 per plant, the largest 1.1–1.8 mm diam. at base, 0.5–1.6 mm diam. when dry, purple-black; leaves 4–7 pairs per stem. Leaf rosette present and distinct from flowering stem leaves; leaves linear, very narrowly elliptic, narrowly elliptic, or very narrowly obovate, 30–83 mm long, 2.6–8.8 mm wide, green, V-shaped, apex acute or rounded, recurved; margins minutely denticulate; petiole not distinct or distinct and then 14–32(–50) mm long, leaf 0.7–1.5 mm wide at the base. Pedicels 3.5–27 mm long, 0.75– 1.0 mm diam., 0.4–0.7 mm diam. when dry. Flowers 7–78 per plant, 12–18 mm long. Calyx green tinted purple-black or red-brown, 5.6–14.1 mm long, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line present; lobes 4.3– 10.2 mm long, 1.3–2.5 mm wide at the base, plane to recurved, apices acute, margins minutely denticulate, rarely smooth, sinus hairs present. Corolla 9.4–17.1 mm long, white, veins uncoloured or purple; tube 2.8–5.1 mm long; lobes 6.6–14.3 mm long, 3.6–9.0 mm wide, hairs below sinus absent or present, when present straight or curly; nectary 0.8– 2.2 mm from corolla base, V-shaped to pocket-like, with or without a smooth-margined fl ap. Filaments 5.4–9.4 mm long from corolla base, 0.4–0.9 mm wide. Anthers 1.5–3.1 mm long, wall blue-black, mouth yellow; pollen yellow. Stigma colourless. Ovules 9–35 per ovary. Ovary sometimes becoming blue or violet after fl owering. Capsule 8.0–17.5 mm long.

[Reproduced from Glenny (2004, New Zealand J. Bot. 42: 361-530) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]