Monday 8 April 2013

Meconopsis regia lookalike

This image was recently taken at Branklyn Gardens in Perth. It is in a bed of 'Meconopsis napaulensis' hybrids but resembles the Himalayan species M. regia. This last species has large evergreen rosettes and takes up to 4 years to flower. M. regia was in cultivation some years ago but hybridized almost at once with similar evergreen monocarpic plants (like M. paniculata and M. staintonii).It should be noted, as explained on the main website, that true M. napaulensis is now considered to be restricted to a small area of the Himalayas and is one of the least tall of this group of evergreen monocarpics.