Swertia kilimandscharica Engl.

Perennial herb with basal leaf rosette.. Stems 20–150 cm long, unbranched or much branched, stem angles smooth.. Basal rosette leaves usually falling early, with ± winged petiole 10–20 mm long, blade obovate-spatulate, 3–9 cm long, 1.2–3.5 cm wide, acute or obtuse; cauline leaves sessile, blade oblong or lanceolate, cordate or ovate throughout or at the inflorescence region, 2–15 cm long, 0.7–4.5 cm wide, acute or obtuse, amplexicaul with margins ± overlapping and purple tinged.. Inflorescences much branched, many-flowered cymes; pedicels 3–4.5(–5) cm long, pedicel of the terminal flower always longer than pedicels of lateral flowers; bracteoles oblong-lanceolate or broadly ovate, 2–3 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, acute or subobtuse.. Flowers (4–)5(–6)-merous, pendulous.. Calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, 7–13 mm long, 2–5 mm wide, acute.. Corolla white, pale blue or deep violet, often with blue veins inside; tube very short, 0.7–1 mm long; lobes elliptic to oblong-elliptic or obovate, 11–19 mm long, 6–11 mm wide, obtuse, margins ragged or irregular around the apices; nectary 1 per lobe, green, circular, elliptic or ovate, 1.8–3 mm diameter, 1.8–2.7 mm from base of corolla lobes, margin fimbriate, fimbriae 1.7–2.7 mm long.. Stamens with filaments 5–9.3 mm long, without scale-like projections at their attachment point; anthers 1.5–3 mm long, oblong, apiculate.. Ovary ovoid, 5–9 mm long, 2–3 mm diameter; style 0.4–1 mm long; stigma bilobed, lobes 0.4–0.6 mm long, 0.5–0.9 mm wide, subobtuse; parietal placentae indistinct.. Capsule ovoid, 2–2.7 cm long, 5–12 mm diameter.. Seeds brown or light grey, 1.1–1.5 mm, surface with wavy ridge-like outgrowths.. Fig. 14/2 (p. 54).