Nardostachys grandiflora DC., Prodr. 4: 624 1830. as per efi thread;
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alpine herb for id
1 image.
Chiplakedar, 4000m, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, 23 june 2010. very small herb around 3 cm tall.
May be Costus afer.
Primulaceae member but never seen by me in the field.
Costus sps ?
Yes. Agree with … Costus or related species.
It is the original Nardostachys grandiflora though many authors think it as a synonym of N.jatamansii, which is an entirely different plant.
Thanks, … I looked at the GBIF specimens for Nardostachys grandiflora, but I do not think these match.
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In fact, this is true Nardostachys grandiflora, before bloom. I feel, the person who merged the N. jatamansi and N. grandiflora, might be never seen its natural habit and based on literature merged these. This is very distinct from N. jatamansi and in western Himalaya, restricted to Pithoragarh. Local people easily differentiate both based on aroma and colour. Here is another photo of the same I clicked long back.
2 images.
References: efi thread POWO Catalogue of Life The Plant List Ver.1.1 BSIEnvis (pdf) India Biodiversity Portal PFAF Vikaspedia Review of Nardostachys grandiflora: An Important Endangered Medicinal and Aromatic Plant of Western Himalaya
