Valley of Flowers

Saussurea obvallata

Asteraceae ~ 3,000–4,600 m blooms July – September

The most loved flower of the Garhwal Himalaya, and the state flower of Uttarakhand. Pale, papery leaves wrap a cluster of purple flowers on a thick stem — a shape that helps trap warmth in the cold mountain air. Common around Hemkund Sahib's lake, and found higher up in the Valley.

Habitat — Alpine meadows and scree, often near snow beds

Saussurea gossypiphora

Asteraceae ~ 3,600–4,800 m blooms July – August

A small plant so covered in cotton-like hair that it looks like a ball of wool wedged in the rocks. The 'wool' keeps it warm through freezing nights at the very edge of where plants can grow. In August it parts to show small purple flowers. Found near Hemkund and the high Valley.

Habitat — Stony glacial ground near the snowline

Meconopsis aculeata

Papaveraceae ~ 3,000–4,800 m blooms June – September

The blue flower trekkers come to find: nodding sky-blue petals on prickly stems, each flower lasting only a few days. One of the most famous and most photographed of all Himalayan flowers. It grows on moist, high slopes.

Habitat — Moist alpine slopes and meadows

Dactylorhiza hatagirea

Orchidaceae ~ 2,800–4,200 m blooms June – August

A wild Himalayan orchid — thick spikes of pink-purple flowers above hand-shaped roots. Those 'five-fingered' roots are used in Tibetan medicine, which has made the plant rare, so it is protected. Look for it in the Valley's wetter meadows in the rainy season.

Habitat — Damp meadows and streamside turf

Morina longifolia

Caprifoliaceae ~ 2,700–4,200 m blooms June – September

Its flowers open white, then turn pink once pollinated — so the plant shows its own story. The stiff, spiny leaves look thistle-like, but it is not a thistle. One of the valley's most striking shapes on dry slopes.

Habitat — Dry open slopes, trailside scrub

Delphinium brunonianum

Ranunculaceae ~ 3,000–4,500 m blooms July – September

Deep blue-violet flowers with a spur and a musky smell that draws flies, since bees are few this high up. Low and sturdy, it handles wind well and grows on drier, higher ground.

Habitat — Stony, drier alpine slopes

Aquilegia pubiflora

Ranunculaceae ~ 2,400–3,800 m blooms June – August

Soft, nodding cream-to-pale-yellow flowers with long spurs that hold nectar. Found on forest edges and open slopes as the monsoon builds.

Habitat — Moist slopes and forest margins

Anemone obtusiloba

Ranunculaceae ~ 3,000–4,800 m blooms May – August

Simple, upward-facing flowers — white, lavender, or deep blue — sitting low on very short stems to stay out of the wind. One of the first flowers to appear near the melting snow.

Habitat — Compact alpine turf

Primula macrophylla

Primulaceae ~ 3,300–4,800 m blooms June – August

A round head of lavender-purple flowers on a white, powdery stem above broad leaves. Where snowmelt keeps the ground wet, many can grow together.

Habitat — Damp alpine meadows, snowmelt flats

Gentiana tubiflora

Gentianaceae ~ 3,500–4,800 m blooms July – September

Small, deep-blue trumpet flowers that almost seem to glow. This kind keeps to the highest, mossiest ground. Several gentians bloom across the valley in the rainy season.

Habitat — Alpine turf and mossy ground

Pleurospermum angelicoides

Apiaceae ~ 2,700–4,000 m blooms July – September

A tall plant with broad, lacy leaves and big flat heads of white flowers. By August it can stand as tall as a person. With other plants like it, it forms the valley's mid-summer 'canopy'.

Habitat — Monsoon meadows, among tall herbage

Selinum vaginatum

Apiaceae ~ 3,000–3,800 m blooms July – September

A slender plant with feathery leaves and flat white flower heads that shake in the wind. With Pleurospermum, it makes up the white layer of the valley's August bloom.

Habitat — Open monsoon meadows

Impatiens sulcata

Balsaminaceae ~ 2,500–3,600 m blooms July – September

Pink, orchid-like flowers on soft, juicy stems that fill with water in the rains. The balsams burst into flower as soon as the monsoon settles, turning wet slopes pink through August.

Habitat — Moist monsoon slopes and streamside

Bistorta macrophylla

Polygonaceae ~ 2,700–4,800 m blooms June – August

Pink flower spikes like little bottle-brushes above oval leaves. It grows in large drifts that can turn a whole meadow soft pink — one of the most common flowers of the rainy season.

Habitat — Meadows and turf, often in drifts

Rosa macrophylla

Rosaceae ~ 2,400–3,600 m blooms June – August

A true wild rose of the inner Himalaya — large, open, deep-pink flowers on arching thorny bushes, followed by red hips that hang on into autumn. Often the first splash of colour on the walk in.

Habitat — Trailside scrub and open slopes

Arisaema jacquemontii

Araceae ~ 2,400–3,800 m blooms June – August

A green hood striped with darker lines, drawn up into a long, upright tip — the cobra lily of Himalayan clearings. Each plant changes sex over its life: male when young, female once the root grows strong.

Habitat — Forest clearings and shady slopes

Fritillaria roylei

Liliaceae ~ 3,000–4,200 m blooms July – August

Nodding bell flowers in brownish-green with a checkerboard pattern — well hidden among the grasses, so only a slow walker spots them. A high-slope bulb, used a little in traditional medicine.

Habitat — Alpine slopes, among grasses

Caltha palustris

Ranunculaceae ~ 2,500–4,000 m blooms April – August

Shiny yellow cup flowers above round, fleshy leaves, at every streamside and wet patch. It follows the melting snow uphill and flowers longest where water keeps running.

Habitat — Stream margins and seepages

Rhododendron campanulatum

Ericaceae ~ 2,800–4,300 m blooms April – June (flowers)

The low, wind-shaped rhododendron of the treeline, with lavender-pink bell flowers in late spring. By August the flowers are gone, but its thick green cover lines the trail to Hemkund.

Habitat — Sub-alpine scrub and krummholz

Aconitum heterophyllum

Ranunculaceae ~ 2,800–4,200 m blooms July – September

Blue-violet, hooded 'monk's-hood' flowers — from one of the Himalaya's most medicinal (and most poisonous) plant families. Over-harvesting for its root, 'atis', has made it scarce, so seeing it in flower is a good sign of a healthy slope.

Habitat — Alpine slopes and meadows

Codonopsis ovata

Campanulaceae ~ 2,700–4,000 m blooms July – September

A gentle climber that winds through other plants, hanging pale blue-green bells that open cream and darken with age. The crushed root smells of mountain spice — somewhere between carrot and dill.

Habitat — Meadows and scrub margins, twining through herbage

Potentilla atrosanguinea

Rosaceae ~ 3,000–4,500 m blooms June – August

Deep red, almost wine-dark flowers on silvery, silky leaves — a cinquefoil that swaps its family's usual yellow for the darkest red in the valley. Sun-loving and tough, it holds rocky ground where other flowers can't.

Habitat — Rocky alpine ground

Erigeron multiradiatus

Asteraceae ~ 2,500–4,300 m blooms July – September

A small daisy with many thin lilac petals around a yellow-orange centre. It grows on damp, mossy banks and open slopes through the rainy season. Its name means 'many-rayed'.

Habitat — Open grassy slopes, forest margins and moist mossy banks

Geranium wallichianum

Geraniaceae ~ 2,400–4,000 m blooms July – September

A trailing plant with wide violet petals, dark veins, and a pale centre. Named after the botanist Nathaniel Wallich. After flowering, the seed pod grows long like a crane's bill and flings out the seeds.

Habitat — Forest clearings, shrubberies and shaded meadow edges

Aster diplostephioides

Asteraceae ~ 3,000–4,500 m blooms July – September

A tall aster with one big flower head — a gold centre ringed by many fine blue-violet petals. One of the showiest daisies of the high meadows in late summer.

Habitat — Alpine meadows and open slopes

Anaphalis triplinervis

Asteraceae ~ 2,000–4,500 m blooms August – October

Small, papery white flowers with gold centres on silvery, woolly stems. They keep their shape long after they dry, which is why they're called 'everlasting'.

Habitat — Open slopes, clearings and stony ground

Inula grandiflora

Asteraceae ~ 2,500–3,800 m blooms July – September

A big, bright gold daisy with broad petals and a large centre, on strong leafy stems. Common in mountain meadows.

Habitat — Grassy alpine slopes and meadows

Cremanthodium arnicoides

Asteraceae ~ 3,300–4,800 m blooms July – September

A yellow daisy of high, wet slopes. Its single flower head nods downward, which helps keep the rain off.

Habitat — Moist alpine slopes and stream banks

Phlomoides bracteosa

Lamiaceae ~ 2,400–4,000 m blooms June – August

Dark purple flower clusters held by leaves along a tall square stem. A mountain relative of the sages. The old heads dry into little brown 'lanterns'.

Habitat — Meadows, clearings and shrubby slopes

Epilobium latifolium

Onagraceae ~ 3,000–4,600 m blooms July – September

Wide, rose-pink flowers on low, spreading stems. It grows on bare river gravel and stony ground, following the meltwater downhill.

Habitat — River gravels, moraine and stream banks

Cyananthus lobatus

Campanulaceae ~ 3,000–4,500 m blooms August – September

A low plant with bright blue, star-shaped flowers that lie flat against the rock. Each flower has white hairs in its throat. It opens in the sun.

Habitat — Rock ledges, banks and open turf

Campanula latifolia

Campanulaceae ~ 2,000–3,600 m blooms July – August

A tall bellflower with big, upward-facing purple-blue bells. Found in cool, moist, shady places along the walk in.

Habitat — Shady banks, forest edges and clearings

Cicerbita macrorhiza

Asteraceae ~ 3,000–4,300 m blooms July – September

A tall daisy-family plant with ragged, blue-violet flower heads — a wild alpine cousin of lettuce and dandelion.

Habitat — Open slopes, rocky ground and stream banks