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Few Flowered Colic-Root
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Few Flowered Colic-Root
ative Photo: Tabish
Common name: Few Flowered Colic-Root
Botanical name: Aletris pauciflora    Family: Nartheciaceae (Asphodel family)
Synonyms: Aletris nepalensis Hook.f. [Illeg.], Stachyopogon pauciflorus, Aletris delavayi

Few Flowered Colic-Root is a small grass-like plant, growing up to 15 cm tall. Leaves are linear-lanceshaped, prominently 5-7-nerved. Flowering stem is naked, wooly-velvety above, longer than the leaves. Each flower has 1-2, linear to narrowly lance-shaped bracts just below them, which are much longer than the flowers. This feature distinguishes it from it close cousin Khasi Colic-Root which has bracts almost equal to the flowers. In addition, Khasi Colic-Root's inflorescens is more densely flowered. Flowers are hairless, pinkish, greenish or white, stalkless or stalked, shortly bell-shaped. Petals are short, fused below, turned back at the tip. Stamens are 6, at the bases of the petals. Style shorter than the stamens, with the stigma 3-parted. Fruit is capsular, ovoid, many seeded. Few Flowered Colic-Root found in the Himalayas, from Kashmir to SW China, at altitudes of 3400-4100 m. Flowering: June-August.
Medicinal uses: Aerial parts of the plant are used in lung and liver disorders, respiratory diseases, pneumonia, bornchitis.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed beyond Tsomgo lake, Sikkim & valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand.

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