Swertia chirayita
Middle Hills · High Mountains
A bitter mountain herb used for fever. Many hill families earn real money growing it — which is why growing it matters more than digging it.
At risk
Contents
Plants of Nepal
Ecosystem
Climate change
Environment-friendly behaviour
Plants
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Dolpa
- Terai60–300 m
- Siwalik (Chure)300–1000 m
- Middle Hills1000–2500 m
- High Mountains2500–4000 m
- High Himal & Trans-Himalaya4000–8848 m
Districts — Dolpa
Koshi
Bagmati
Betula utilis
High Mountains · High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
The last tree you meet before the mountain becomes rock and snow. Ancient books were written on its papery bark.
Doing okay
Juniperus indica
High Mountains · High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
A low, tough shrub burned as incense in mountain homes and monasteries. Its smoke smells like cold clean air.
Doing okay
Taxus wallichiana
High Mountains · High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
A slow, dark mountain tree whose bark contains a medicine used to treat cancer. That discovery nearly wiped it out.
In real danger
Nardostachys jatamansi
High Mountains · High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
A high-mountain herb with a hairy root that smells deeply of earth and wood. It has been traded across Asia for two thousand years.
Almost gone
Rhododendron arboreum
Middle Hills · High Mountains
Nepal’s national flower. When the hills turn red in spring, this is the tree doing it.
Doing okay
Dactylorhiza hatagirea
High Mountains · High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
A small purple orchid whose root looks like a tiny human hand — five fingers, which is exactly what its name means.
Almost gone
Rhododendron anthopogon
High Himal & Trans-Himalaya
A tiny cousin of the gurans that grows above the treeline, in cushions low enough to hide from the wind.
Doing okay