Botanical name: Swertia speciosa Family: Gentianaceae (Gentian family)
Showy Swertia is a perennial herb with large lurid gray flowers with 5 narrlow elliptic spreading petals, each with paired long-fringed nectaries at its base. Flowers are 2-2.5 cm across, in a long narrow cluster at the top. Petals are 1.5-2 cm long, sepals narrow elliptic pointed, much overlapping at at base, up to 1.5 cm long. Stem leaves are oppositely arranged, elliptic, stalkless, 12-15 cm long. Basal leaves are stalked and stem-clasping. Stem is rather thick, hollow, about 2-5 ft. Showy Swertia is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Bhutan, at altitudes of 2700-4000 m. Flowering: July-September.
Identification credit: Krishan Lal
The flower labeled Showy Swertia is ...