East-Himalayan Swertia is a very robust erect plant,
with maroon and darker-veined, bell-shaped flowers with rising up ovate
petals, borne in dense short-stalked whorls and forming a branch-end,
interrupted, spike-like cluster. Petals are about 1.8 cm, blunt, with 1
large basal nectary without a fringe; sepals ovate pointed, green, more
than half as long as the petals. Basal leaves are spoon-shaped-elliptic
15-20 cm, stem leaves ovate, the uppermost purple- flushed and little
longer than the whorls of flowers. Stem is stout, hollow, up to 1 m or
more; rootstock stout. Capsules are shining brown, up to 2 cm.
East-Himalayan Swertia is found on open slopes in East Himalaya, from E
Nepal, NE India to SE Tibet, at altitudes of 3600-4300 m. Flowering:
June-September.
Identification credit: Amber Srivastava
Photographed in Yumthang valley, Sikkim.
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The flower labeled East-Himalayan Swertia is ...