Gentiana sect. Eurythalia Re n. ex Griseb.
Annual-biennial, erect-suberect, glabrous-pubescent herbs. Basal leaves forming a rossette, distinctly unnerved, conspicuously longer than cauline leaves, cauline leaves densely arranged, rarely lax, imbricate, opposite, lanceolate-ovate. Inflorescence mostly in dense terminal sometimes 2-3 flowered cyme. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous. Calyx divided to various lengths and usually forming a calyx tube, lobes lanceolate-ovate, equal, entire or margins slightly scabrous. Corolla tubular, infundibular or hypocraetiform, variously coloured, lobes provided with subsidiary lobes or plicae, plicae smaller than and alternating with corolla lobes, corolla throat fimbriate, funbriae linear-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, arising from a crown inserted within corolla tube. Stamens as many as number of petals and opposing the plicae. Anthers versatile with filaments attached in the middle or below to the corolla tube. Ovary superior, unilocular with numerous ovules and parietal placentation, style distinct, stigmas 2 coiled at apex. Nectaries present at the base of the ovary. Capsule elliptic oblong, long or short stalked or sessile, dehiscing septacidally from apex. Seeds brown, ellipsoidal, densely reticulate.
A genus of 3-4 species, distributed in Himalayas from Kashmir to Nepal.
Differs from Gentianodes Love & Love on the basis of corolla tube being fimbriate, differs from Ciminalis Adans. on the basis of being fnnbriate corolla throat and versatile stamens and uninerved basal leaves.
The names Eurythalia, Erythalia, Ericala and Ericoila represent other groups and differ from Qaisera Omer on one context or the other (for further details, see Omer in BotJahrb.111.205-212.1989).
Eurythalia Re n. ex Borkh. (1798) is illegitemate as Borkhausen (1798) cited Gentiaiella Moench as its direct nomenclatural synonym. For further details of the genus and typification, see Omer in Bot. Jahrb.111:205-212.1989. Qaisera Omer differs from Gentiana L (s.str.), Ciminalis Adans. and Gentianodes Love & Love on the basis of fimbriate corolla throat (for details, see the generic key).
