Syn.: Halenia deltoidea Gand., Halenia fischeri Graham, Halenia japonica Gand., Halenia sibirica Borkh., Swertia corniculata L.
Family: Gentianaceae Juss.
Distribution: Eastern part of European Russia, western and eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and Chinese provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Monggol, Shaanxi and Shanxi.
Ecology: It grows in grasslands, forests and forest margins, up to 1800 m asl. Blooms from July to September.
Description: Annual herb, 10–50(–80) cm tall. Stems erect, simple or branched. Basal leaves petiolate, elliptic to obovate, 1–3 cm long and 5–8 mm wide, base cuneate, apex rounded; stem leaves sessile or short petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate, 3–8 cm long and 1–1.5 cm wide, base obtuse to subrounded, apex acuminate. Pedicel 0.5–3 cm long; flowers tetramerous; calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, 5–8 × 1–1.5 mm, ciliate, apex acuminate; corolla campanulate, 1.1–1.4 cm in diam., yellow, tube 4–5 mm, lobes elliptic to ovate, 5–7 × 3–5 mm, with spurs near base of corolla tube. Capsules ovoid, 2valved.
Note: The genus Halenia contains about 70 species, which occur in America, Asia and Europe.
These images were taken in Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula, riverside of Khalaktyrka River, near the mouth (August 13, 2009).
