196. BOTANY. 
Rothrock (733), in 1874. Evidently allied to three Mexican species which 
have also umbelliform cymes; the innermost involucral leaves bear single 
flowers, the outer ones usually two, and a later secondary flower is borne on 
a shorter peduncle behind a primary one. This is the only Western species 
yet discovered—Puiate XXI. Natural size. 1. Flower, 5 diameters. 2. 
Mature capsule, cross-section, about 5 diameters. 3. Vertical section 
through flower, about 10 diameters. 
PLevrocyxe* rotata, Griseb: Gray, Syn. 124. (Swertia rotata, L.). 
Stems 2-10’ high, the smallest ones one-flowered, others thyrsoid-branched, 
many-flowered; leaves lance-linear; sepals linear, acute, as long as the 
milk-white (3—-1’ wide) corolla, acute at both ends 
Moist, grassy places in Colorado, sometimes in large patches, and 
then disappearing again for years. The spreading flowers of this and the 
next two genera afford the best opportunity of observing the action of the 
versatile anthers as they slowly turn from the introrse to the horizontal, and 
then to the extrorsely reversed position, as explained above. The glands 
on the base of the corolla-lobes are distinct enough, but the surrounding 
scale is apparently not, as it is ignored by many botanists; I have seen 
it variable, longer or shorter, but always present; when fully developed, 
it forms a complete crested or fringed funnel The stigma of this plant is 
most peculiar, formed as it is directly on the commissure of both carpels 
and representing a broad stigmatic line commencing about #’ below the non- 
stigmatose apex, running down the sides to the same distance above the base, 
‘ go that we have here a two-carpellary ovary with two lateral, but without 
any apical stigma. This line is beset with elongated stigmatic cells or 
papilla about 0.1™ long and ; as wide. At the proper time, numerous 
pollen-grains are found adhering to the stigma, many of them developing 
their tubes. The seeds I have been able to examine were not fully 
matured, but such as they are, they appear oval-oblong, not flattened nor 
margined, but slightly angular and nearly 0.5" in the longer diameter 
PLEUROGYNE, Eschsch.—Erect annuals of cold or ulpine regions, with opposite leaves, few or 
numerous whitish flowers in a fastigiate’y much-branched panicle; corolla rotate, often 4-parted, in 
our species with a pair of nectariferous pits at the base of the lobes surrounded by a funnel-shaped crest 
or a fringed scale; stamens versatile ; ovary lanceolate, bearing the linear stigmas decurrent down the 
sides on the sutures ; ovules abundant on the broad placentz on both sides of the sutures; capsule oval, 
compressed ; seeds oblong, smooth. 
