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Himalayan Rhubarb

Rheum australe

Also called Indian Rhubarb, Red Veined Pie Plant

Himalayan Rhubarb
Photo: Halava, CC BY-SA 3.0

Himalayan rhubarb is a tall perennial herb with large heart-shaped leaves and red stems, native to high mountain slopes. It needs cool conditions, moist soil and a sheltered spot to grow well.

Family
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep soil consistently moist, especially in summer, but avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Rich, moist, well-drained humus-rich soil.
Temperature
10–20 °C; tolerates cold winters well, but hot summers stress it.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
N. Pakistan to N. Myanmar
Climate
subalpine or subarctic

About

Rheum australe, synonym Rheum emodi, is a flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is commonly known as Himalayan rhubarb, Indian rhubarb and Red-veined pie plant. It is a medicinal herb used in the Indian Unani system of medicine, and formerly in the European system of medicine where it was traded as Indian rhubarb. The plant is found in the sub-alpine and alpine Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 m.

Where it grows

Native to India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sikkim.

Other Rheum plants

Chinese rhubarb · Chinese rhubarb · Rhubarb · Syrian Rhubarb · Rhubarb

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rheum australe by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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