Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Ajania gracilis (Hook.f. & Thomson) Poljakov ex Tzvelev
Common name : Shrubby Ajania
Vernacular name : Khamchu (Ladakhi)
Habit : Woody subshrub
Habitat : Cold desert, stony slopes of Himalaya; 500 - 4400 m. altitude
Comments / notes : Also, found along watselands. The dried leaves and flowers are fragrant and a good source of essential oil.
Key identification features : A grey-hairy perennial herb with many stems arising from the base. Stem 40-60 cm, branched above. densely grey haired Flower heads small, yellow in branched terminal cluster. Fruit with a cup like crown.
Flower, Fruit : July-November
Distribution :
Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
Native : India, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, West Himalaya
Exotic/Native : Native
World Distribution : Central Asia to West Tibet and West Himalaya
Literature : Uniyal B.P., Sharma J.R., Choudhery U., Singh D.K. (2007). Flowering Plants of Uttarakhand: A Checklist. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh: 163; Chaurasia O P, Khatoon N and Singh S B (2006), Field Guide-Plant Biodiversity of Ladakh. WWF-India, Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) and Department of Wildlife Protection, Goverment of Jammu and Kashmir