Morphological Characteristics of the Family Gentianaceae

The Gentianaceae or Gentian family is worldwide in distribution, with 1,800 or so species in about 100 genera. The plants are diverse in habit, although the majority are herbaceous. The leaves of most species are opposite, with the margins generally entire; stipules are absent in most genera. The perianths are biseriate, actinomorphic or somewhat zygomorphic, sympetalous, and usually synsepalous. The stamens are epipetalous, isomerous with the petals, and the pistil is solitary, bicarpellate, with a superior ovary containing several to many ovules.