Dreams Of The Blue Poppy – Himalayan Blue Poppy

The Himalayan Blue Poppy – Meconopsis betonicifolia is one of those plants that captures the imagination. Originating from the lush, mountainous regions of south-eastern Tibet, this almost magical plant will make you looks twice. The species have attractive flowers and have two distinct ranges. A single species, Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh poppy), is indigenous to England, Wales, Ireland, and the fringes of Western Europe. The other 40 or so (depending on classification) species are found in the Himalayas. Within the Himalayan types there is much debate as to what constitutes a particular species as many readily hybridise with each other and produce viable seed. It is likely that some individually-named species are in fact a single species but with an under-appreciated morphological diversity. A large proportion of species are monocarpic and as such are notoriously difficult to maintain in cultivation. Meconopsis grandis, nicknamed the Blue Poppy (although it is only poppy-like), is the national flower of Bhutan. In the late spring of 1922, a British Himalayan expedition, led by legendary mountaineer George Leigh Mallory, discovered the plant on their failed attempt to reach the summit of the then-unconquered Mount Everest. The flowers were introduced to much excitement at the Royal Horticultural Society’s spring show of 1926. However, since they are difficult to grow, the species has become fabled over the decades. In June 2007, Hale Books published the novel “Dreams of the Blue Poppy” by English author Angela Locke. The book’s central theme concerns a sickly child who dreams of finding the fabled plant and ends up on a journey of both personal and botanical discovery to the Indian Himalaya. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ-35 Southland New Zealand Nov. 2011

*Dreams Of The Blue Poppy – Himalayan Blue Poppy *

Blue Poppy

The Colour of Sky! – Himalayan Poppy