Bistorta affinis
species of plant
Bistorta affinis (synonyms Polygonum affine, Persicaria affinis), the Himalayan bistort, fleece flower, or knotweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae, native to the Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal, northern India, Pakistan, Kashmir).
Description
Bistorta affinis is a creeping, densely tufted, mat-forming perennial, growing to 25 cm (10 in) tall by 60 cm (24 in) broad. The narrow elliptic leaves are white on the underside because of a waxy coating. Leaves are mostly at the base, 3–8 cm long, with the base narrowed to a short stalk. Leaf margins are entire or very finely toothed. The mid-vein is prominent. Cylindrical spikes of many pale pink or rose-red flowers are borne at the top of short erect stems, from midsummer to autumn. Flower-spikes are 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long, with densely crowded flowers. Stamens protrude slightly out of the flowers. Flowering stems are several, 5–25 cm tall, with very few smaller leaves.
“Bistorta affinis” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Bistorta, affinis and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Bistorta affinis” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Bistorta, affinis and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q10428456. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Bistorta affinis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.