Koenigia delicatula - Delicate Himalayan Knotweed

Delicate Himalayan Knotweed is a slender, rarely erect hairless herb, 5-15 cm long. It can be distinguished from most other species of Koenigia of the Himalaya by its fasciculate flowers in leaf-axils, while other species have flowers in corymbs at branch-ends. Leaves are distant with obscure nerves, alternate, stalkless to nearly so, leaf-stalk about 1 mm long, ovate or ovate-heart-shaped, 3-5 x 1-3 mm, base rounded, quite hairless. Flowers are 3-4 in clusters in leaf-axils. Flower-stalks are about 1 mm long, bract small, ovate, about 0.5 mm long. Flowers are with 5 tepals, white, divided slightly more than half of their length, outer 2 tepals small, elliptic, almost pointed or blunt, 1.5-2 x 0.75-1 mm. Stamens are 2-3, filaments thread-like, staminodes 3, almost equalling the stamens. Ovary is trigonous with very prominent angles, styles 3, very short, stigmas headlike. Delicate Himalayan Knotweed is found in the Himalayas, at altitudes of 3000-4500 m, from Kashmir to Bhutan, China. Flowering: July-September.