Swertia divaricata H. Smith

Perennials 50-70 cm tall. Stems erect, robust, striate, simple. Basal leaves absent. Lower stem leaves long petiolate; leaf blade elliptic, 12-14 × 4-5.5 cm, apex obtuse, veins 7; middle to upper leaves sessile or short petiolate; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate to triangular-lanceolate, 4-8 × 2.5-5 cm, apex obtuse. Inflorescences panicles of cymes, divaricate, many flowered. Flowers 5merous. Pedicel arcuate, 2-2.5 cm. Calyx lobes lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, thick herbaceous, apex acuminate, veins 3. Corolla blackish purple, with green spots, 1-1.2 cm in diam., tube 1-1.5 mm; lobes elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 1-1.2 cm × 4.5-5 mm, apex obtuse. Nectaries 2 per corolla lobe, close together, oblong, with narrowly raised margin and 1 to few fimbriae at base. Filaments ca. 6 mm, base fimbriate-barbate; anthers ellipsoid, ca. 2 mm. Style very short; stigma lobes oblong. Capsules ellipsoid, 1-1.2 cm. Seeds light brown, ellipsoid, 1.2-2 mm, irregularly longitudinally rugose, narrowly winged on edges. Fl. and fr. Sep.

NW Yunnan.

* Woodland margin in valleys; ca. 2400 m.