摘 要 ：Petrocosmea是由D．Oliver于1887年[13]根据自湖北西部描述的 P．sinensis Oliv.（花冠的上唇与下唇近等长）建立的。接着 W．B．Hemsley分别于1895年[9]和1899年[10]根据云南东南部的标本描述了三个种，并根据 P．iodioides Hemsl.及 P. minor Hemsl．的花冠下唇远长于上唇的特征建立了新组 sect．Anisochilus Hemsl.。W．G．Craib于1919年发表了本属的第一篇校订[7]，记载了当时已描述的15种，其中包括H．Leveille根据贵州和云南标本描述的三新种[11]，除一种（P．Kerii Craib）分布于泰国外，其他14种均为中国特有种。
Abstract:1. In the present paper 27 species and 4 varieties of the genus Petrocosmea are recognized and classified into three sections defined largely by relative lengths of the upper and lower corolla lips and external morphology of the anther. Of the three groups sect. Petrocosmea is considered the primitive one, while the other two may be both derived from it. The species of each section are mostly closely interrelated and distinguished from each other often by tiny characters. 2. According to the morphological investigations on the genus in question some essential evolutionary trends of it are revealed as follows.