Swertia

Many-stem swertia Swertia multicaulis, copyright Pema G. Bhutia.

Belongs within: Gentianoideae.

Swertia, the felworts, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs, most diverse in Asia and Africa.

Characters (from Flora of China): Herbs annual or perennial. Roots fibrous or woody; primary roots with few secondary rootlets or rhizomes short and with few fleshy adventitious rootlets. Stems absent, scapiform, or well developed, ascending or erect, terete, striate or angled, simple or branched. Leaves opposite, rarely alternate or whorled, margin entire. Inflorescences cymose, usually grouped into simple or paniculate thyrses, rarely strictly dichotomous, sometimes reduced to single flowers and inflorescences racemelike or flowers solitary and terminal. Flowers 4- or 5-merous. Calyx and corolla rotate, lobed to base, tubes less than 3 mm. Nectaries 1 or 2 per corolla lobe, with fimbriate margin or represented by naked spotlike gland patches. Stamens inserted at base of corolla tube. Ovary 1-celled. Style short to elongate. Capsules 2-valved, few to many seeded. Seeds small.

Swertia
    |--S. acaulis O88
    |--S. alternifolia O88
    |--S. candelabrum O88
    |--S. ciliata O88
    |--S. cuneata O88
    |--S. dilatata O88
    |--S. hispidicalyx O88
    |--S. hookeri O88
    |--S. kingii O88
    |--S. multicaulis O88
    |--S. petiolata O88
    |--S. racemosa O88
    |--S. radiata RS99
    |--S. ramosa O88
    |--S. speciosa O88
    `--S. staintonii O88

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[O88] Ohba, H. 1988. The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: An introductory note. In: Ohba, H. & S. B. Malla (eds) The Himalayan Plants vol. 1. The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 19–46.

[RS99] Rossman, A. Y., G. J. Samuels, C. T. Rogerson & R. Lowen. 1999. Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes). Studies in Mycology 42: 1–248.