''Strobilanthes wallichii'', commonly known as Kashmir acanthus, hardy Persian shield, wild petunia, or kandali, is a

herbaceous 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 widel ...

which is native to the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. In its natural habitat, it purple blooms appear only once every twelve years, an occasion which is celebrated by the

Kandali Festival Kandali Festival is a festival held by the Rung tribe of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state in India. This festival coincides with the blooming of the Kandali plant, which flowers once every twelve years. It is held in the Chaundas ...

in the

Pithoragarh District Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. T ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Synonym 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 ...

s include: *''Pteracanthus alatus'' (Wall. ex Nees) Bremek. *''Ruellia alata'' Wall. ex Nees *''Strobilanthes atropurpureus'' Nees

References

External links

Flowers of India: ''Strobilanthes wallichii''
wallichii Flora of Bangladesh Flora of Nepal Flora of West Himalaya Environment of Himachal Pradesh {{Acanthaceae-stub