A Himalayan saw-wort whose purple flower heads hide inside cups of pale, papery bracts. It is listed in Tibetan medical works under the name lug rtsi do bo.
- Group: Plant
- Plant type: Cushion and scree
- Habitats: Alpine meadow, scree
- Regions: Ü Tsang, Kham, Amdo
Habitat and distribution
Grassland, rocky slopes, stream banks and scree at 3,200–5,200 m (Flora of China); recorded from the east of Tso Ngonpo province (Ch: Qinghai), western Sichuan and south-eastern Tibet, and along the Himalaya.
Recorded in Ü-Tsang, Kham, Amdo.
Ecological and cultural significance
Its translucent bracts shelter the flowers from cold and rain; the flowers are pollinated by insects. In India it is called Brahma kamal and is offered at Himalayan shrines (Wikipedia).
Threats
Collected as a sacred offering and for medicine in the Indian Himalaya; no figures on harvesting in Tibet were found.
Conservation
Not assessed by the IUCN Red List (no assessment found).