Sunday 13 March 2005

Meconopsis torquata


Photographer : Margaret Thorne

Taxonomy

( One of five species in section Discogyne characterised by having a disk above the ovary from which the style and stigma protrude – other 4 species are M. tibetica, M. torquata, M. simikotensis and M. pinnatifolia ). From central Tibet near Lhasa. Monocarpic. Unlobed leaves and narrow racemes of blue flowers with bristles on the outside of the flowers. Good black and white illustration in ‘A Quest of Flowers’ by H.R. Fletcher (Edinburgh Press 1975).

There is a very good, well illustrated, article in the Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society, Vol. 74, part 2, June 2006 by Chris Grey-Wilson on all five of the species that are in the separate sub genus Discogyne.


Cultivation

Only M. discigera of the Discogyne has been regularly grown and that is not easy. M. torquata was flowered by more than 1 grower many years ago in Scotland and that proved very difficult. Likely to be difficult.


Map Location


View Meconopsis World torquata in a larger map