Table 1.

Morphological comparison between Gentianella macrosperma and related species.

	G. macrosperma	G. holosteoides	G. longicarpa	G. sibirica	G. stoliczkae	G. umbellata
Plant height (cm)	12–40	up to 5	9–22	(1–)10–20(–30)	10–45(–60)	(4–)10–35
Basal leaves (mm)	not rosulate, obovate-spathulate 14–17 × 2–6	rosulate, spathulate-ovate or lanceolate, 3–5 × 1–3	rosulate, spathulate, oblong-obovate, 7–16 × 3–8	rosulate, oblong-obovate, 6–20 × 2–6	rosulate, ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 10–35 × 6–20	rosulate, spathulate, obovate-lanceolate, 8–25 × 5–12
Cauline leaves (mm)	ovate to ovaloid, apex rounded, the uppermost sometimes acute, 15–38 × (7–)10–15	lanceolate-oblanceolate or elliptic, apex acute, 5–15 × 2–6	ovate-oblong, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, apex obtuse, the uppermost acute, 8–26 × 4–9	ovate-oblong, ovate-lanceolate, apex acute, 6–20(–35) × 3–9	oblong-lanceolate, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, apex acute, (20–)25–40(–50) × (2–)10–15	oblong-ovate, oblong-lanceolate, apex acute, 8–25 × 4–18
Calyx length (mm)	3.5–4.5	4–8	4–5	3–6	8–11	4–10
Floral whorls	4(5)–merous	4(5)–merous	5-merous	5(4)-merous	5-merous	5-merous
Flower size	almost all of the same size	variable in size, terminal ones 1–2 × larger than others	variable in size, terminal ones 1–1.5 × larger than others	variable in size, terminal ones 1–2 × larger than others	variable in size, terminal ones 2–3 × larger than others	variable in size, terminal ones 2–3 × larger than others
Corolla colour	white	pale blue to blue	pale blue, light-pink, or lilac-violet	predominantly pink, yellowish or whitish, rarely pale blue.	purple, pink, pale blue or yellowish	pale azure, purple, pink, yellowish or mixture of these, rarely white
Corolla shape	campanulate	tubular to campanulate-tubular	tubular to campanulate-tubular	tubular or tubular-infundibular	tubular to campanulate-tubular	tubular to campanulate-tubular
Corolla length (mm)	4.0–4.5(–5.0)	6–12	(5–) 6–8	(5–) 6–7 (–10)	7–20	(5–) 8–11 (–15)
Corolla lobes	2.0 mm long, the same length as corolla tube	1.5–3.0 mm long, much shorter than corolla tube	2–3 mm long, shorter than corolla tube	ca. 2 mm long, much shorter than corolla tube	3–7 mm long, much shorter than corolla tube	2–3(4) mm long, much shorter than corolla tube
Nectaries	8(10), at top of corolla tube	8(10), at basal part of corolla tube	10, at basal part of corolla tube	8-10, at basal part of corolla tube	10, at basal part of corolla tube	10, at basal part of corolla tube
Stamens	1.1–1.4 mm	–	–	2–4 mm	ca. 7 mm	1–5 mm
Anthers	blue, 0.2–0.3 mm	–	–	blue, 0.5–0.7 mm	yellow, 1.0–1.2 mm	–
Gynophore	0.2–0.3 mm	subsessile	sessile	subsessile	1.5–2.2 mm	sessile
Seeds	2–8 per capsule, 1.2–1.6 mm in diameter	numerous per capsule, ca. 0.8–1.0 mm in diameter	numerous per capsule, 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter	numerous per capsule, 0.1–0.2 mm in diameter	numerous per capsule, ca. 0.8 mm in diameter	numerous per capsule, 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter