Himalayan gloxinia
Incarvillea arguta

Family: Bignoniaceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 1.5 m tall. The leaves are alternate and compound. They have 5-11 leaflets along the stalk. These are narrowly oval and 3-5 cm long by 2 cm wide. They are pale green underneath. The base is wedge shaped and unequal and there are teeth along the edge. The flowers are tube shaped and red.

Medicine.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on slopes and in thickets in southern China between 1,400-2,700 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan. Hobart Botanical gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Himalayas, India, Nepal, Tibet, Tasmania

How it is used for food

The pith is eaten raw as a snack in the fields.

Edible parts

Pith, medicine

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Amphicome arguta [Invalid]; Amphicome diffusa (Royle) Sprague; Incarvillea arguta var. daochengensis Q. S. Zhao; Incarvillea arguta var. longipedicellata Q. S. Zhao; Incarvillea diffusa Royle;