🇧🇹 The flowers of Bhutan
19 pages from Bhutan: its flowers, the things made with them and the places to see them, across 4 cities and regions.
Bhutan’s flowering plants thrive across steep mountains and valleys, with over 4,500 species recorded. The country’s forests cover most of its land, sheltering a rich variety of blooms shaped by dramatic changes in altitude. Bhutan’s flora stands out for its diversity within a small area and its protection through strong conservation policies.
The plant life of Bhutan
Bhutan’s plant life is shaped by its position on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalaya and its rugged terrain. Elevation changes rapidly from lowland forests to alpine heights, creating a range of climates and habitats. The country is home to more than 4,500 species of flowering plants, along with hundreds of ferns and mosses. Forests, both broadleaf and conifer, cover about 71% of the land, much of it undisturbed and publicly owned. This rich plant diversity is part of what makes Bhutan a global biodiversity hotspot.
From region to region in Bhutan
Flora in Bhutan shifts with altitude. The southern lowlands support lush tropical forests, while temperate forests of pine and broadleaf trees dominate the middle elevations. In the north, alpine habitats host plants adapted to cold, high conditions. Protected areas and biodiversity corridors help connect these regions, supporting a wide range of plant communities.
Flowers to know in Bhutan
While the article does not list specific flowers, it notes Bhutan’s exceptional number of flowering plant species. The country is recognized internationally for its biodiversity, especially within the Eastern Himalayas. Many of these plants are found only in this region, and Bhutan’s forests include both native and primary growth species.
Threats and protection in Bhutan
Bhutan’s plant life faces pressures from population growth, agriculture, development, and infrastructure expansion. The government has set aside over a quarter of its land as protected areas and created biodiversity corridors to link them. Conservation is a national priority, supported by laws and integrated into development planning, but ongoing vigilance is needed to address new environmental threats.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Wildlife of Bhutan", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
Iris tectorum鸢尾
A blue or white iris once grown on rooftops in China and Japan
🇨🇳 China and 5 more · Wildflower
StelleraStellera chamaejasme
A poisonous alpine flower of Central and East Asia, grown for its showy heads
🇨🇳 China and 5 more · Wildflower
Lilium davidii
A tall Asian lily with edible bulbs and orange recurved flowers
🇨🇳 China and 1 more · Wildflower
Prickly blue poppyMeconopsis horridula
A spiny blue poppy from the high Himalayas and western China
🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Wildflower
Meconopsis grandis
A blue-flowered poppy from the Himalayas grown for its striking blooms
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 3 more · Wildflower
Meconopsis gakyidianaཚེར་སྔོན་མེ་ཏོག
A blue poppy from Bhutan’s high mountain slopes, now its national flower
🇧🇹 Bhutan · Wildflower
Rhododendron kesangiaeཏ་ལ
A tall rhododendron tree with rose pink flowers, found only in Bhutan
🇧🇹 Bhutan · Wildflower
Primula capitata
A Himalayan primrose with globe-shaped clusters of purple flowers
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 1 more · Wildflower
Cypripedium tibeticum
A high-altitude slipper orchid with deep maroon to pink flowers
🇨🇳 China and 1 more · Wildflower
Yellow Himalayan fritillaryFritillaria cirrhosa
A rare Himalayan lily with bell-shaped, checkered flowers and prized medicinal bulbs
🇨🇳 China and 5 more · Wildflower
White garland-lilyHedychium coronarium
Tall, fragrant white flowers from the ginger family, grown and loved across continents
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Wildflower
Bengal trumpetThunbergia grandiflora
A climbing vine with large blue-violet trumpet flowers from Southeast Asia
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Climber
Star jasmineJasminum multiflorum
A white, scentless jasmine used in Indian weddings and worship
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Wildflower
Noble dendrobiumDendrobium nobile
A fragrant orchid with waxy blooms from the Himalayas and southern China
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Orchid
Foxtail orchidRhynchostylis retusa
A long, hanging orchid with many pink-spotted white blooms
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Wildflower
Crape myrtleLagerstroemia indica
A summer-flowering tree with crinkled blooms in white, pink, purple or red
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering tree
Rhododendron arboreum
A Himalayan rhododendron with clusters of red, pink, or white bell-shaped flowers
🇳🇵 Nepal and 7 more · Wildflower
BrahmakamalSaussurea obvallata
A Himalayan alpine flower with papery bracts, sacred in Indian hill temples
🇮🇳 India and 4 more · Wildflower
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Star jasmine: Atamari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Meconopsis grandis: Andrew Curtis, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lilium davidii: Darm Crook, Public domain, source
- Iris tectorum: 清水五月, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Stellera: Jan Reurink, CC BY 2.0, source
- Prickly blue poppy: Missbge, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Meconopsis gakyidiana: Yoshida, Toshio; Yangzom, Rinchen; Long, David., CC BY 4.0, source
- Primula capitata: Ghislain118 http://www.fleurs-des-montagnes.net, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cypripedium tibeticum: Patricia Harding, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yellow Himalayan fritillary: Popolon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- White garland-lily: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, source
- Rhododendron kesangiae: Phuentsho, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bengal trumpet: Don McCulley, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Foxtail orchid: Andri Suprihardi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Noble dendrobium: Maja Dumat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Crape myrtle: Gabriel Collares, CC BY 4.0, source
- Rhododendron arboreum: Marcus334, CC BY 3.0, source
- Brahmakamal: Schwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhutan: Stephen Shephard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source