Common name: Himalayan Fleeceflower, Himalayan knotweed
Botanical name: Bistorta affinis Family: Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)
Synonyms: Persicaria affinis, Polygonum affine
This useful
evergreen, ground-cover plant has spreading stems and elliptical leaves which
often turn reddish in dry conditions, and take on fine brown tints in autumn.
From early summer into autumn, the foliage is studded with upright 10cm
spikes of deep pink, poker-like flowers which turn an attractive rusty colour
as they fade. It is a spreading mat-forming alpine perennial with woody
rootstock. Leaves mostly
basal, naroow-elliptic, entire or finely toothed, with conspicuous mid-vein
and in-rolled margin. Flowers pale or deep pink, numerous in a cylindrical
spike, on erect stems 5-25 cm. White stamens protrude out.
| Photographed in Manali,
Himachal Pradesh. |
|
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