Saussurea obvallata aka Brahma Kamal

Saussurea obvallata belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is a perennial, which means it lives for years. Its native range runs from the Himalaya into western China. It also grows as far as northern Myanmar. Records place it in Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. They also include parts of northern India. In China, it grows in western Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan. Kew places it in subalpine or subarctic climates. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

This small plant grows about 1 foot [0.3 metres] tall. Kew calls its form perennial or a rhizomatous geophyte. The latter means it grows from a rhizome, an underground stem. The sources give no clear width for a full-grown plant. They give no details of its leaves and stems. They do not state the flower colour or bloom season. Nor do they say what the fruit looks like. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects move pollen from one flower to the next.

In the wild, it grows in alpine meadows and on slopes. It also grows on rocky ground and beside streams and rivers. Plants For A Future says it prefers moist soil. It lists sand, loam, and clay as suitable soils. Its stated pH range runs from slightly acid to slightly alkaline. The same source lists light shade or an open site. But it has few notes on how to grow this plant. Its further care notes concern the genus, not this species. How well it withstands British cold remains unclear. The source gives no firm hardiness zone.

Plants For A Future lists garden beds as a setting. It gives no method for raising plants tested on this species. It suggests sowing seed in spring in a cold frame. Sow on the surface or add a very light cover. This proposed method calls for keeping the compost moist. It also suggests shelter for young plants through their first winter. These are ideas to try, not proven steps for this species. The evidence names no pests or diseases.

The account lists no use of this plant as food. It reports no known hazards, but that does not prove safety. Tibetan medicine uses the whole plant for some health problems. Reported uses include limb paralysis and low blood flow to the brain. These records show past and current practice, not proof of health benefits. The account lists no other uses. It does not flag a risk of becoming a weed.