High in the eastern Himalayas, where the air is thin and the terrain is rugged, a rare and remarkable plant grows. The ‘Sikkim Sundari’, known scientifically as Rheum nobile, has fascinated botanists and nature lovers for decades because of its unusual life cycle and the eye-catching spectacle it creates when it finally blooms.

For most of its life, the plant stays close to the ground as a modest rosette of leaves, patiently storing energy for the moment it will rise. After many years,........

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