Persicaria Vivipara

Alpine bistort, now botanically Bistorta vivipara, is a compact circumpolar perennial with narrow leaves and slender spikes divided into two distinct zones. The upper portion carries small white to pink flowers, while the lower portion develops dark bulbils that drop and grow into new plants, giving rise to the name vivipara. This efficient clonal reproduction helps it survive in Arctic tundra and high mountain meadows where seed ripening is uncertain. Hardy and graceful, it is a fine cool-garden alpine for moist scree, meadow edges and troughs protected from summer heat.