Description
Known only from scattered localities in the Himalayas, Bhutan, Nepal and China. It is the most westerly of all of the species and is so distinct that it has prompted a few to even think of it as a separate genus.
Stocky 15 cm purple-red stems carry plain green leaves below a small, powerfully deflexed, starry flower of deep oxblood red and green.
This species is unusual in that the sepals and petals resemble each other, giving a six-petalled appearance with each being arranged in a whorl of 3, but superimposed. These contrast well with the prominent yellow anthers and red “toasting-fork” style, that sits atop the flower. The whole is followed by a grape-red fruit.
Readily grown and flowered in a leafy, shady spot but also takes well to pot cultivation as it is a dwarf species.
