Horned Lousewort is a robust handsome plant, with a
cylindrical cluster of usually many large pale yellow flowers, each up
to 2 cm across, at the top of the stem. Flowers have a distinctive
upper lip which is s-shaped, or spirally curved, with a slender deeply
bifid beak; lower lip with two lateral rounded lobes twice as large as
the oblong mid-lobe; flower-tube is hairy, 2-3 cm. Sepal-cup is
prominently inflated, hairy, with small irregular lobes. Leaves are up
to 15 cm alternate, stalked, linear-oblong, and pinnately cut into
rounded, toothed or lobed segments. Stem is stout, usually 15-60 cm.
Horned Lousewort is found on alpine slopes, irrigated meadows, from
Pakistan to West Himalaya, at altitudes of 2700-4400 m. The tender
leaves are used as potherb. Flowering: July-August.
Medicinal uses: The flowers are used in
Tibetan medicine, they are said to have a bitter and cooling potency.
They are used in the treatment of vaginal and seminal discharges.
Identification credit: Sonam Tamchos
Photographed in Panikhar Kargil, Ladakh.
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The flower labeled Horned Lousewort is ...