The richness of flora has made Bhutan one of the most attractive places to admire the beauties of natural flowers. The country has been described as the treasury house of the ethno botany. The harmonious co-existence between the pristine wild flowers of the Himalayas and the humans can attract the naturalists of the world.
In early spring, white magnolias and red rhododendrons in the mid-mountain zone go into full bloom, and then primulus and many other flowers will open in the sunny fields. By the rainy season, blue poppies and others constitute the rare beauties. Epiphytic orchids begin to bloom when the rainy season comes. At the end of the rain, the alpine meadow abruptly turns from green to brown and only few flowers like gentians and edelweiss remain and snow will soon cover them.
There are more than 1200 species of rhododendrons worldwide, with diverse forms, ranging from creeping shrub-lets to moderate sized trees. Flowering with shades of pink, red and yellow, rhododendrons occur in the temperate regions of the world with about 700 species in cultivation, most being Sino-Himalayan species.
In Bhutan, of the 46 species recorded so far, four species have found to be endemic.
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