common bistort
Bistorta officinalis
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones3 to 7
SunHandles partial sun to partial shade
WaterNeeds moderate soil
Size2 to 3 feet tall18 to 24 inches wide
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Bloom color
- Pale pink and white
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common bistort (Bistorta officinalis) is a perennial for pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes part sun or part shade and average moisture. It grows 24 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. Pale pink and white flowers appear in early to mid summer, and bees visit them.
Pairs well with Paradigm hosta, Corn mint, and Blackhaw viburnum.
Native range
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Asia, and 17 more places. See all 21
Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Asia, Africa, Altay, Amur, Buryatiya, Chita, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Manchuria, NW. Balkan Pen., Primorye, Qinghai, Sakhalin, Tuva, Türkiye, and Yakutiya.