Plants
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Dolpa
Swertia chirayita
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
Betula utilis
The last tree you meet before the mountain becomes rock and snow. Ancient books were written on its papery bark.
Doing okay
Juniperus indica
A low, tough shrub burned as incense in mountain homes and monasteries. Its smoke smells like cold clean air.
Doing okay
Taxus wallichiana
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
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
Nepal’s national flower. When the hills turn red in spring, this is the tree doing it.
Doing okay
Dactylorhiza hatagirea
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
A tiny cousin of the gurans that grows above the treeline, in cushions low enough to hide from the wind.
Doing okay