Gentian Family [Gentianaceae] |
status
flower
morph
petals
(6-8)petals
(6-8)type
stem
sex
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
A greyish-green annual about 8 inches tall. (Centauries (pink flowers) are growing near it). |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The yellow Gentian-type flowers open only when the sun is out. The leaves are pointed, angled upwards and perfoliate fully enveloping the stem in a cup-shape. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The bracts around each flower are very long and thin. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
And usually twisted around at the top on un-opened flowers. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The stem splits into 3 at the junction of a stem leaf; a middle thinner one with shorter-stemmed flower, and two thicker outer ones, which can also split fractally further up. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The flower on the middle shorter stem differs from those on the outer two stems; it is wider. |
8th July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
It is sunny! The usually eight-petalled bright-yellow flowers have opened. Sometimes not all petals appear same size. |
8th July 2011, Southport dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The petals un-fold via an 8-bladed spiral turbo-fan arrangement. |
8th July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Un-like some other members of the Gentian Family, the anthers do not get twisted in the un-curling process. |
8th July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Nominally eight stamens, with a deeper-yellow pollen un-usually covering last third of stamen rather than being on an anther at the top as in most other species of flower. |
8th July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
When open, the flowers flare like a tuba. The eight sepals are very long and narrow. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The twinned stem leaves are fused into one surrounding the stem. The name for this is 'perfoliate'. Superficially, the leaves of Centauries (such as Common Centaury) look as though they penetrate the leaf in an identical manner, but they do not, Centauries are not perfoliate, although they do look like they are at first glance. Two side-branching stems are ready to grow. |
2nd July 2009, Southport Sand Dunes, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Showing how the two side-branches grow. The leaves have some resemblance to those of Red Valerian. |
23rd July 2015, Southport Dune Slacks, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Lower leaves lack a double-branching stem just above them. |
16th Aug 2016, green Beach, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Later in the season when most of the flowers are turning to fruit and only the topmost flower is blooming (and the one with the long twisted sepals one next to it probably waiting to open). Note how most leaves have dropped off leaving scars on the stem and how the flower stalks have all greatly lengthened. |
16th Aug 2016, green Beach, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The anthers are long and golden-yellow whereas their filaments are a paler lemon yellow. The long narrow sepals have thin translucent edges. The flower petals are 5 to 10mm long and start from a paler-green column a short distance upwards from the sepals. |
16th Aug 2016, green Beach, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The anthers number 7, the same number as there are petals. The central pale-green ovary nestles in the well of the flower with two stigmas on a single short style emerging from the top of the ovary. |
16th Aug 2016, green Beach, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The petals have withered to a pale buff colour on top as the seeds develop within the expanding ovary. |
Some similarities to : Gentians and Centauries, to which it is related. Gentians have blue flowers, whereas those of Centauries are pinkish. Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : The yellow Centaury-like flowers and the glaucous broad pointed leaves attached in opposite pairs to the main stem like a cup surrounding the main stem, in a similar fashion to those of Red Valerian. The plant is half as tall as Red Valerian, but a little taller than most Centauries or Gentians. The yellow petals usually number 8, but can number anywhere from 6 to 8 inclusive. It is found mainly on sand dunes or on short turf on lime. It is the only member of the Genus Blackstonia, or at least in the UK.
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Blackstonia | perfoliata | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Gentianaceae |
Blackstonia |
Gentian Family [Gentianaceae] |