''Bistorta affinis'' (

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Polygonum affine'', ''Persicaria affinis''), the Himalayan bistort, fleece flower, or knotweed, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Polygonaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to the Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal, northern India, Pakistan, Kashmir).

Description

''Bistorta affinis'' is a creeping, densely tufted, mat-forming

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, growing to tall by broad. The narrow elliptic leaves are white on the underside because of a waxy coating. Leaves are mostly at the base, 3–8 cm long, with the base narrowed to a short stalk. Leaf margins are entire or very finely toothed. The mid-vein is prominent. Cylindrical spikes of many pale pink or rose-red flowers are borne at the top of short erect stems, from midsummer to autumn. Flower-spikes are long, with densely crowded flowers. Stamens protrude slightly out of the flowers. Flowering stems are several, 5–25 cm tall, with very few smaller leaves. When the flowers have died, they tend to persist on the plant into winter.

Habitat

''Bistorta affinis'' is found in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to eastern Nepal, at altitudes of .

Cultivation

''Bistorta affinis'' is used ornamentally as

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

. Under the synonym ''Persicaria affinis'' the following

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

: *'Darjeeling Red' *'Donald Lowndes' *'Superba'

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10428456, from2=Q7170299, from3=Q32858528 affinis Flora of West Himalaya Flora of Jammu and Kashmir Flora of Nepal Flora of Pakistan Flora of Tibet Plants described in 1825 Garden plants of Asia Groundcovers Perennial plants