Common name: Himalayan Snowberry, Creeping Snowberry, Snowberry • Nepali: कालीगेडी Kaaligedi
Botanical name: Gaultheria trichophylla Family: Ericaceae (Rhododendron family) Synonyms: Gaultheria nana, Brossaea trichophylla
Himalayan Snowberry is striking for its enchanting sky-blue berries.
It is a spreading prostrate dwarf shrublet, of rocks and
banks, with bristly brown branched stems. Leaves tiny, opposite, elliptic, 3-7
mm long, margin serrate with long bristles. Flowers red, pink or nearly white,
widely bell-shaped, 5-6 mm across. Sepals are triangular, 2 mm.
Fruit is a sky-blue berry, 6-10 mm in diameter. Himalayan Snowberry is found
growing on rocks and banks in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to SW China, at
altitudes of 2700-4500 m. Flowering: May-July.
| Photographed in Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand & Tawang Distt, Arunachal Pradesh. |
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