Chinese Bergenia is a perennial herb, about 17 cm
tall. Rhizomes are thick, scaly. Leaves are all at the base, leaf-stalk
3-10 cm or longer, blade round or broadly ovate to broadly obovate,
7-15 x 6.6-13.2 cm, leathery, both surfaces hairless, base rounded,
margin entire or obscurely rounded toothed, rigidly fringed with hairs,
tip blunt. White-pink flowers are borne in cymes, about 7.5 cm;
branches and flower-stalks sparsely glandular. Hypanthium is sparsely
glandular hairy. Sepals are spreading, broadly ovate, 3-3.5 mm,
leathery, hairless, veins many, apical margin sometimes sparsely
toothed. Petals are white or pink, round, about 8.5 x 6 mm, veins many,
base narrowed into a claw about 2 mm, tip blunt. Stamens are about 5.5
mm. Chinese Bergenia is found in fForests, rock crevices, at altitudes
of 2300-2400 m, in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan,Kashmir, Nepal to
Bhutan, NE India. Flowering: June-August.
Medicinal uses: The root of Chinese Bergenia
is rich in tannins and is used as a tonic in the treatment of fevers,
diarhoea and pulmonary affections. The root has a high reputation in
indigenous systems of medicine for dissolving stones in the kidneys.
The root is bruised and applied externally to treat boils and
ophthalmia.
Identification credit: Saroj Kasaju
Photographed in Soureni, Mirik, West Bengal.
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The flower labeled Chinese Bergenia is ...