Anther wall formation,microsporogenesis and the formation of male gametophyte in Swertia hickinii Burk.were reported for the first time in the present paper.(1)Anthers are etrasporangiate.Anther wall comprises epidermis,endothecium,one middle layer and tapetum and the development of anther wall is of the dicotyledonous type.The tapetum has dual origin and belongs to the glandular type.The endothecium and epidermis persist,but the cells in endothecium develop to become elongated and fibrously thickened.(2)The cytokinesis in the microsporocyte meiosis is simultaneous.Most of the microspore tetrads are tetrahedral and there are a few other types,such as isobilateral and “T”-shaped.Mature pollen grains are 3-celled and tricolporate.The common embryological characters of Swertia were generalized and compared to those of Gentiana,Crawfurdia and Tripterospermum.Whether the epidermis persists can be used to distinguish Swertia from Tripterospermum.