Meconopsis sherriffii

Taxonomy

A deciduous perennial plant with pink flowers. Similar in form to M. grandis and M. integrifolia with often single flowers on stems with bract leaves. Can form quite large clumps with numerous flowering spikes from separate rosettes. It is usually less than 40cms when flowering but can be at least twice that. Mostly known from a restricted area of Bhutan but published pictures have been taken in Sichuan near Kanding and Rock described a pink M. integrifolia from China which was presumably M. sherriffii; so may be much more widely distributed.

Cultivation

Currently probably not in cultivation; was maintained for many years by a small number of very skilled Scottish growers with perennial plants that occasionally set seed. This was before the changed Scottish climate made Meconopsis more difficult to grow so this species is probably now more tricky. It flowers in the second year from seed, needs cross pollination and very often behaves like a monocarpic species as do many seedlings of both M. grandis and M. betonicifolia. One English grower at this time raised many seedlings but all died before flowering. Needs care and probably vulnerable to fungal infections. A good account of growing this species by Alan Furness is in ‘The Alpine Gardener’ Vol 72, Sept. 2004.

Map Location

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Meconopsis rudis - Photos In The Garden

Grown from wild chinese seed.	These do hybridise in the wild and the garden with M. prattii and so much garden seed may not be true. Fred Hunt.
Rudis from wild seed collected by V. Holubec as Meconopsis sp. It clearly is this species with large glaucous leaves and raised spine tubercles BUT only about 50% show purple pigment. The seedling leaves are very distinctive compared to other species in the horridula super species.	C.Grey-Wilson has suggested that this species has a uniquely twisted style but iit was not apparent in any of more than 50 plants grown from wild seed. Another example of just how varied this group of super species is.
Leaves of plants grown from a Holubec seed collection in China. This clearly fits the newly erected M. rudis. The seedlings are very distinctive with long leaf petioles. About 50 flowered this year and nearly 1/2 showed large glaucous leaves with sparse long spines BUT no purple pigment at base- which is a key characteristic. On the wild pages there are plants without pigment that oherwise fit this species. A typical M. pratti leaf is in the top row.

Meconopsis rudis - Photos In The Wild

Gang Ho Ba, Yunnan, 3,400m.	Gang Ho Ba, Yunnan, 3,400m.
Gang Ho Ba, Yunnan, 3,400m.	Yulong Shan 3,850 David Rankin.
Beima Shan, Yunnan. Martin Walsh.	Balang Shan. Martin Walsh.
Longriba, Sichuan,3650m. A near white form but not showing the diagnostic purple spots at the base of the spines - possibly an albino plant would not show this anyway. Hilary and John Birks.	Balang Shan, nr. Wolong.4,000m. A lovely large flowered plant with the large glaucous leaves typical of this species but lacking the diagnostic purple spots at the spine bases. Hilary and John Birks.
Deng Zhanzwa Pass,Chanzushi, Sichuan.3,860m. A more typical M. rudis with large glaucous leaves and purple pigment at spine bases. Hilary and John Birks.

Meconopsis rudis

Taxonomy

M. rudis is found on lower screes and is a very different plant from M.horridula or M. racemosa with large glaucous grey green leaves and diagnostically marked purple pigment spots at the base of each of the many leaf spines. Most flowers are on a central raceme but some basal flowers may occur as well. It can be a substantial plant 40 to 50 cms tall (Plants above 4,400 metres in Yunnan have been described with only basal scapes). The flower colour can be a poor muddy purple and they rarely show the exquisite colour of M. horridula or racemosa. The anthers are grey or dirty white (but described as yellow by Grey-Wilson in Sichuan and on the Gang Ho Ba in Yunnan).

Clearly the purple pigment is not a reliable character, although in its extreme form this species is very different from all the others in the M. horridula super species. A complication is that many of the other species in this group do show leaves with purple pigment and certainly at one site I examined in Yunnan the M. rudis was on the higher screes and M.prattii in grassy areas lower down but with huge numbers of apparent hybrids in between.

Cultivation

M. rudis. Has been in cultivation since China was opened up in the late 1980s. It is an easy plant to grow and, when grown on well, will probably flower as a biennial. In the wild, this and M. prattii would appear to take several years to flower. At the end of the summer, the dormant white carrot like root can be the size of a little finger. (seed from seed exchanges as M. horridula may be this or M. prattii).

Map Location

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Meconopsis robusta - Photos In The Garden

Meconopsis robusta - Photos In The Wild

Meconopsis robusta

Taxonomy

Monocarpic evergreen similar to M. paniculata and coming from Kumaon in N India. Not well known. Ref. Curtis Botanical Magazine (2002) 23,176.

Cultivation

Probably easy from seed like most of this group. The plants I grew which were reputably this from a wild collection were like a rather straggly poor flowered M. paniculata.

Map Location

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