Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Meconopsis => Topic started by: Margaret Thorne on January 02, 2024, 03:45:04 PM
-
Happy New Year to everyone who grows Meconopses. December and January are the months in which many growers sow their Meconopsis seed, so now is perhaps an appropriate time to point out just how rare some species and subspecies have become in cultivation. Time is already up for several very beautiful taxa. Introduced into cultivation by intrepid plant-hunters at considerable personal cost, some disappeared very rapidly. Those long gone, at least from the UK, include: M. primulina, M. bhutanica, M. bella, M. pinnatifolia, M. sherriffii and M. taylorii. These photos are all taken in the wild; does anyone have any of the same species in cultivation?
[attachimg=1]
M. primulina, M. bhutanica, M. bella.
[attachimg=2]
M. pinnatifolia.
[attachimg=3]
M. sherriffii.
[attachimg=4]
M. taylorii
-
With little opportunity now for new seed introductions, we needed to discover what we had left to take action to secure their future. So, in 2022, I organised a Census on behalf of The Meconopsis Group to establish which species and subspecies (not hybrids or cultivars) were still being grown and with what success. Each taxon was allocated a provisional status on the basis of the results and these have been corroborated by a repeat of the Census in 2023. Those allocated to category ‘E’ – recently lost from cultivation include: M. bijiangensis, M. pseudointegrifolia, M. speciosa subsp. speciosa, M. sulphurea subsp. gracilifolia, M. venusta and M. betonicifolia (the true species not M. baileyi which is sometimes sold under this name).
But maybe some of these are still being grown by people who did not participate in the Census. If you have photos, please post them.
-
M. pseudointegrifolia ... M. betonicifolia (the true species not M. baileyi which is sometimes sold under this name).
I'm surprised both are lost already, in particular M. betonicifolia as it's soundly perennial?
-
I'm surprised both are lost already, in particular M. betonicifolia as it's soundly perennial?
Yes, Meconopsis betonicifolia is perennial, but it seems to hybridise readily with M. baileyi which is the most commonly grown species of the genus. The hybrid is called M. x 'Alaska' which is a good plant in cultivation, but it resembles M. baileyi in having a false whorl rather than M. betonicifolia which doesn't. Perhaps the hybrid is easier to grow, so is preferred to the latter parent, seed of which I have never managed to germinate. The photos are all M. x 'Alaska'
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
Several more taxa are currently category ‘D’ – endangered, most likely to be lost in the near future. These are M. simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia, M. wallichii var. fusco-purpurea, M. lancifolia subsp. eximia and M. horridula (the true species not hybrids which are correctly described as M. x setifera).
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
The three subspecies of M. wilsonii are all in trouble too, as there were no records received of any plants flowering in 2023, thus no seed was collected and there is very little in storage. As far as we know, only one person has a plant of subspecies wilsonii. The other two subspecies, australis and orientalis are being grown by a few members each. If you have any plants, please take care of them, and if they flower for you in 2024, be sure to collect the seed, consider raising plants and devoting more space to them in your garden. If you have seed in storage, consider sowing and growing them before they lose their viability.
There are photographs of all 3 subspecies of M. wilsonii on the Meconopsis Species Gallery.
-
Meconopsis Species Gallery:
https://www.themecgroupadmin.org/gallery.asp
-
Thanks Maggi
Other species falling within the ‘endangered’ (D) category which nobody who participated in the Census managed to flower or collect seed from in 2023 include: M. integrifolia ‘Balangshan forms’, M. purpurea and M. napaulensis (the true yellow flowered species not the garden hybrids which should be called M. x complexa).
Thanks to David Rankin, Harry Jans, and Richard Green for the first three photos.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
What magnificent plants Margaret, and beautiful photos from the wild 8), most I suppose taken during the monsoon season.
Thank you for showing them.
-
Margaret, thank you for wonderful pictures. :)
Other species falling within the ‘endangered’ (D) category which nobody who participated in the Census managed to flower or collect seed from in 2023 include: M. integrifolia ‘Balangshan forms’,
In Holubeck seed list last November there was M.integrifolia from Balang Shan, and I hope the seeds germinate in spring (now sown and under snow outside), I hope I can grow it until flowering. There were also some other wild collected Meconopsis, but only M.horridula from your list. I hope other beautiful plants in your pictures will survive in cultivation in the future.
-
What magnificent plants Margaret, and beautiful photos from the wild 8), most I suppose taken during the monsoon season.
Thank you for showing them.
Thanks, Ashley, yes, they are all taken in the wild (other than ‘Alaska’) and most are Himalayan and photographed by me during the monsoon. This does mean that the flowers are often very damaged by the wet conditions, whereas in cultivation this is much less likely to happen.
The Chinese ones, M. wilsonii, M. purpurea and M. integrifolia are found mainly further east than the extent of the monsoon; M. bijiangensis is just on its eastern edge. These photos are mainly taken by others and are in the Meconopsis Species Gallery (or soon will be) together with details of where they were taken and by whom.
-
Margaret, thank you for wonderful pictures. :)
In Holubeck seed list last November there was M.integrifolia from Balang Shan, and I hope the seeds germinate in spring (now sown and under snow outside), I hope I can grow it until flowering. There were also some other wild collected Meconopsis, but only M.horridula from your list. I hope other beautiful plants in your pictures will survive in cultivation in the future.
I do hope all your Meconopsis seed germinates for you, Leena, and that you manage to raise each of the species you are growing and flower them successfully. The growing conditions here in the UK have been difficult for the past 2 years and many members who have succeeded to grow Meconopsis in the past are now failing to do so. From the photos you have posted on the forum, I would guess your conditions are more favourable than ours and Martin is still doing well at Tromso, as is Jenny at the Schachen.
All forms of M. integrifolia have been widely grown without difficulty until recently and the Balangshan forms with their wide-open flowers are, in my opinion, the most attractive. On the other hand, M. horridula has a reputation for being impossible to grow!
-
I do hope all your Meconopsis seed germinates for you, Leena, and that you manage to raise each of the species you are growing and flower them successfully. The growing conditions here in the UK have been difficult for the past 2 years and many members who have succeeded to grow Meconopsis in the past are now failing to do so. From the photos you have posted on the forum, I would guess your conditions are more favourable than ours and Martin is still doing well at Tromso, as is Jenny at the Schachen.
All forms of M. integrifolia have been widely grown without difficulty until recently and the Balangshan forms with their wide-open flowers are, in my opinion, the most attractive. On the other hand, M. horridula has a reputation for being impossible to grow!
Thank you Margaret. I hope so too. :) We have now had a very cold weather, -20C for a week and only about 20cm snow, but from past experience Meconopsis have been fine even after cold winters. And of course seeds which have not yet germinated are ok.
Early summers have been very dry here in the past few years, but mostly I think the conditions are ok. In Tromso they are better than here!
I will have to make a new bed to these new seedlings if/when they germinate, and there are also hopefully Meconopsis seeds from this years seed exchange, too. :)
I once had M.integrifolia, but didn't know at the time that they were monocarpic, and didn't collect seeds from it, so unfortunately I don't have that clone anymore. I do have M.integrifolia grown from seeds from a kind forumist two years ago, and I hope the biggest ones of them will flower next summer. But these wild collected from Balang Shan are special and I try to take good care of them. I sowed also Meconopsis horridula, Meconopsis prattii and Meconopsis punicea from Holubeck. I have tried M.punicea couple of times but never got it to germinate. I hope this time they will germinate. Good to know M.horridula will be difficult, I will have to think carefully where to plant them if they germinate.
-
I once had M.integrifolia, but didn't know at the time that they were monocarpic, and didn't collect seeds from it, so unfortunately I don't have that clone anymore. I do have M.integrifolia grown from seeds from a kind forumist two years ago, and I hope the biggest ones of them will flower next summer. But these wild collected from Balang Shan are special and I try to take good care of them.
The tall yellow flowered species, of which M. integrifolia is one have probably never been adequately subdivided into species and subspecies. When I was sorting out the photos for the Meconopsis Species Gallery, I tried to include at least one from each of the sites from which each taxon had been recorded. It was only when I grouped the photos by site that it became obvious that the ones taken on the Balangshan were completely different from all the rest. Until now they’ve been lumped under the name M. integrifolia subsp. souliei, with the Zheduoshan form from where this subspecies was described. These have much more globular, less open flowers (photos from plants in cultivation below). I have grown both from the seed exchange as different times and they are distinct and do come true from seed. It is therefore important to check the plants when they are in flower to see that they are correctly labelled with these distinctions maintained, especially when you eventually have enough to donate to a seed exchange or give to friends. Results from The Meconopsis Group’s DNA project may eventually help us devise a more appropriate taxonomy for these plants.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
-
Fascinating and useful information, Margaret, thank you!
-
Beautiful plants, beautiful surroundings, excellent photography throughout! ;)
-
..................... I sowed also Meconopsis horridula, Meconopsis prattii and Meconopsis punicea from Holubeck.....................
It will be very interesting to see what you are able to grow from Vojtech Holubec’s Meconopsis pratti seeds. His list says they were collected at Yushu and the only place I can trace with that name is in Qinghai which is further north than the currently accepted distribution of this species. But they may occur there, in which case there is a substantial overlap with the distribution of M. racemosa. On the Meconopsis Species Gallery, I have loaded photographs of M. prattii from SE Tibet, SW Sichuan and NW Yunnan, where I have seen it on the Baimashan (first two below). The most distinct plants have red stems and are secund (all the flowers on one side of the stem) with fairly long narrow leaves in a basal rosette. The only photos I have of this species in cultivation (last three below), aren’t particularly convincing, so please take lots of photos if you do manage to grow plants.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
One Meconopsis grower experimented with M. punicea seed and found that it germinated better the earlier it was sown after harvesting. I have never seen any insects in the flowers, so in my experience plants have to be hand pollinated and, like many species of Meconopsis, they are not self-fertile. The pollen takes a long time to ripen and often seems to be in short supply. Cross pollinating two M. punicea plants usually results in the petals falling off, so better not to do so too soon after the flowers open!
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
It will be very interesting to see what you are able to grow from Vojtech Holubec’s Meconopsis pratti seeds. His list says they were collected at Yushu and the only place I can trace with that name is in Qinghai which is further north than the currently accepted distribution of this species. But they may occur there, in which case there is a substantial overlap with the distribution of M. racemosa. On the Meconopsis Species Gallery, I have loaded photographs of M. prattii from SE Tibet, SW Sichuan and NW Yunnan, where I have seen it on the Baimashan (first two below). The most distinct plants have red stems and are secund (all the flowers on one side of the stem) with fairly long narrow leaves in a basal rosette. The only photos I have of this species in cultivation (last three below), aren’t particularly convincing, so please take lots of photos if you do manage to grow plants.
Thank you for the pictures of M.prattii and M.punicea! :)
I will take pictures if I manage to grow M.prattii. Judging from your pictures it needs a well drained spot, not as moist as other Meconopsis I have grown.
About M.integrifolia: I found a picture from last summer where there are two M.integrifolia seedlings. I hope to see next summer what kind of M.integrifolia these are, and there are other seedlings in another spot. In the picture they are on the left corner, and they grew well last summer. I think I will have to dig up the Pulmonaria behind them, so that they will have more room. Picture was taken in late June of Primula 'Inverewe' which I was very happy that has survived. I got it from a friend who had bought it before Brexit.
[attachimg=1]
-
Beautiful plants, beautiful surroundings, excellent photography throughout! ;)
Thanks, Marc, I do hope the photos will encourage a few more people to grow them. It seems Meconopsis aren't very fashionable at the moment!
-
Each of the following was flowered by only a single person who part in the 2023 Census so they are allocated to category ‘D’ – endangered, most likely to be lost in the near future: M. baileyi subsp. pratensis, M. henrici, M. heterandra, M. impedita subsp. impedita, M. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia, M. regia, M. robusta, M. simplicifolia subsp. grandiflora, M. wallichii var. wallichii and M. yaoshanensis subsp. yaoshanensis. With just a bit more effort, we could probably keep all these in cultivation.
These are photos of:
M. baileyi subsp. pratensis in cultivation – they are similar to subsp. baileyi but have nodding flowers. They were introduced by Frank Kingdon Ward from northern Myanmar in 1926, so if they are lost from cultivation, it is unlikely that they will be replaced.
M. henrici from the Zheduoshan, Sichuan (thanks to Peggy Anderson)
M. heterandra, Yele Xiang, Mianning, Sichuan
M. impedita subsp. impedita, Serkhyem La, Nyingchi, SE Tibet (thanks to Harry Jans)
M. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia, Huanglongsi, Songpan, Sichuan
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
M. henrici from the Zheduoshan, Sichuan (thanks to Peggy Anderson)
Pavel Krivka has a fresh seed introduction of this species on his latest seed list, as well as "Meconopsis jiajinshanensis", presumably M. balangensis atrata? I might order seeds and try them here in Denmark, they were easy in Norway.
What happened to M. delavayi? I was hoping for seeds, but I have yet to see it listed in any exchanges. It is in danger of dying out in cultivation? The perennial species seem more worth saving, I fear the monocarpic ones might end up being a lost cause...
-
Pavel Krivka has a fresh seed introduction of this species on his latest seed list, as well as "Meconopsis jiajinshanensis", presumably M. balangensis atrata? I might order seeds and try them here in Denmark, they were easy in Norway.
In 2022 only 1 UK member reported flowering M. henrici, but he no longer had plants in 2023. The situation was marginally better in Norway since, although nobody who took part in the Census raised any in 2023, there were a few plants still alive from previous years. So, yes, if new seed is available, it would be well worth buying and growing.
I cannot find any reference to Meconopsis jiajinshanensis, so it could be either variety of M. balangensis. Does the seed list have a photo or description? Jiajinshan also has the Balangshan forms of plants currently lumped under M. integrifolia subsp. souliei, but which I think are distinct. So, well worth buying seed and identifying.
-
What happened to M. delavayi? I was hoping for seeds, but I have yet to see it listed in any exchanges. It is in danger of dying out in cultivation? The perennial species seem more worth saving, I fear the monocarpic ones might end up being a lost cause...
Meconopsis delavayi has been in The Meconopsis Group seed exchange every year from 2001 until 2023. In 2022 nobody who took part in the Census flowered it and only four members raised plants from seed, so it was judged to be endangered. In 2023 more members raised plants from seed and although we received no record of it flowering in the UK, two members were successful in Norway. M. delavayi requires different growing conditions to most other species of Meconopsis in that it is a plant of limestone substrates and it dislikes root disturbance. Growers who succeed with it either plant seeds in individual modules or pot on seedlings in a clump rather than individually. It probably isn't as endangered in cultivation as some other species, but is one of the more difficult species to grow.
-
Years ago I grew M. delavayi from seed and the plant bloomed every year for a few years. Then a friend helped weed the sand bed upon which the meconopsis pot sat. And yes, she lifted the pot, exposing some lovely fat roots. And yes, the plant perished. I've never had seed of it since. SIGH!
...Claire
-
Hi Claire, good to hear from you. Why not join The Meconopsis Group and likely get seed of M. delavayi in the autumn in this year's seed exchange? You've got green fingers and seem to have the right growing conditions for Sinohimalayan plants.
-
Margaret, thanks to your pictures and posts now I joined the Meconopsis group today. :)
I have been thinking about joining for several years, but never got around to it. My own plants are so common that I thought I couldn't give anything, but maybe I can in the future.
-
Hi, Margaret,
I couldn't find how to join the meconopsis group on the website. Can you or Leena send me a link? Thanks.
Right now, M. zhongdianensis seems to be perennial for me. Or consecutive seedlings are filling the pot. :-) M. aculeata has bloomed for me and some seedlings hang on. I've grown several M. horridula types -- I can never be sure of the correct names. And of course, M. baileyi hybrids are perennial if I site them correctly.
...Claire
[attachimg=1]
M. zhongdianensis
[attachimg=2]
M. racemosa?
-
https://www.themecgroupadmin.org/tblnewmembersedit.asp
That should get anyone who's interested to the new members' bit
-
Right now, M. zhongdianensis seems to be perennial for me. Or consecutive seedlings are filling the pot. :-) M. aculeata has bloomed for me and some seedlings hang on. I've grown several M. horridula types -- I can never be sure of the correct names. And of course, M. baileyi hybrids are perennial if I site them correctly.
...Claire
It's possible to get most of the prickly species of Meconopsis to behave like perennials by potting them up and planting them out in clumps rather than individually. Some of them are definitely short lived perennials too. I planted several in a large trough which I subsequently wanted to empty to move, and 5 years later they were still flowering every year. They also self seed quite readily if you give them the conditions they like (and don't collect all the seeds!); both your garden and Leena's should be suitable for that.
There are photos on the Meconopsis Species Gallery of M. zhongdianensis, M. racemosa and M. prattii which are quite tricky to tell apart. You need to look at all the key features, not just the bit at the top - so, basal leaves (shape, form, nature of spots & bristles), orientation and spacing of the flowers up the stem, flower detail and capsule shape. You are welcome to send me more photos if you need a hand in deciding if yours are correctly identified.
Later in the year, the Meconopsis Group seed exchange will probably have M. p paniculata ex Sikkim which was collected on the Green Lake Trek by a friend of ours later the same year you travelled there with us. He bulked up the seed in his own garden, in which there are no other Mec species, before donating it, so there should be plenty left in the seed bank. Sadly, M. simplicifolia subsp. grandiflora which we also saw on that trip is only just hanging on in cultivation and is less likely to be in the seed exchange.
-
Thank you, Margaret. I'm signed up and look forward to the seed exchange in the fall.
...Claire
-
Margaret, thanks to your pictures and posts now I joined the Meconopsis group today. :)
I have been thinking about joining for several years, but never got around to it. My own plants are so common that I thought I couldn't give anything, but maybe I can in the future.
It is very clear from the 2023 Census results that members in Norway are having more success in growing Meconopsis than we are in the UK. I believe this is genuinely due to climatic differences as, although growing them has become less fashionable here than it used to be, those UK members who do try to grow them are very committed to doing so and greatly disappointed that it has become more difficult.
So, you can, very likely, make a significant contribution by virtue of having better growing conditions than we do and it would be great to have a future Census contribution from Finland! :)). Also, by concentrating on growing just a few species which are not likely to hybridise and building up good populations of them, you can certainly contribute to ensuring their continued survival in cultivation. Larger populations are more genetically diverse and therefore more able to survive climatic changes.
-
Photos of more Meconopsis taxa identified as category ‘D’ – endangered in cultivation:
M. regia in cultivation; note the very finely toothed leaves which are indicative of the true species. Most examples in cultivation are hybridised with M. paniculata and have more coarsely toothed leaves. Hybrids occur on the Lamjung Himal, Annapurna, from where they were introduced during the 1954 Stainton, Sykes and Williams expedition.
M. robusta in cultivation: similar to M. gracilipes (now lost), lacking the black spots on the leaves of M. dhwojii (relatively secure)
M. simplicifolia subsp. grandiflora: Green Lake Trek, North Sikkim, India
M. simplicifolia subsp. grandiflora: in cultivation
M. wallichii var. wallichii: Kanchenjunga, West Sikkim, India
M. yaoshanesis: sorry – don’t have any photos. Somebody, please post or send me some!!
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
-
So, you can, very likely, make a significant contribution by virtue of having better growing conditions than we do and it would be great to have a future Census contribution from Finland! :)). Also, by concentrating on growing just a few species which are not likely to hybridise and building up good populations of them, you can certainly contribute to ensuring their continued survival in cultivation. Larger populations are more genetically diverse and therefore more able to survive climatic changes.
You are right that our climate may be good for Meconopsis, and I haven't had any trouble with big blue poppies, but I have lost seedlings of M. x complexa (from seed ex) and I think that type might be more difficult in my garden. I have now couple of them (seedlings) again, in a different spot, and we'll see if they are alive in spring. M.integrifolia also seems to grow well in my garden. :)
-
You are right that our climate may be good for Meconopsis, and I haven't had any trouble with big blue poppies, but I have lost seedlings of M. x complexa (from seed ex) and I think that type might be more difficult in my garden. I have now couple of them (seedlings) again, in a different spot, and we'll see if they are alive in spring. M.integrifolia also seems to grow well in my garden. :)
We find that some of our evergreen monocarpic species do better if they are covered in winter, otherwise the rosettes rot, but this may not be practical for you to try, Leena
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2].
-
Is it likely that different colours planted together may produce viable seed and seed around?
-
We find that some of our evergreen monocarpic species do better if they are covered in winter, otherwise the rosettes rot, but this may not be practical for you to try, Leena
That looks good, and they get protection from rain. :)
I think here without snow cover the ground freezees so deep during winter, that it is better to have snow on top of plants, but when I had M. x complexa seedlings I had tried to cover them with spruce brances, and they still rotted. They look fine when snow melted but soon the old leaves started to rot and no new ones emerged.
Now I'm trying them in different spot, in more sandy slope and we'll see if they are alive in spring. I have thought to put M.prattii from Holubeck (if the germinate) to the same slope. There is no winter wet for sure. It is trial and error. :)
-
Is it likely that different colours planted together may produce viable seed and seed around?
Meconopsis species and subspecies hybridise in the wild and in cultivation. Whether or not they will ‘seed around’ depends on how suitable the conditions are in your garden and, as they are becoming generally less favourable in the UK, it is best not to leave it to chance if you want an annual display of flowers. Hybrid seed can develop into particularly robust plants on account of hybrid vigour, but in my experience, these plants usually produce fewer seeds than pure species and are often completely sterile.
In 2023, I flowered two plants labelled Meconopsis WYSIWYG (x complexa), one had yellow petals, the other red, and despite cross pollinating them, one produced no seed and the other very little. The result of allowing different species of evergreen monocarpic Meconopsis to freely flower and cross pollinate in a garden is most likely to lose them all.
In order to ensure the future survival of each species in cultivation, The Meconopsis Group is therefore inviting individual members to champion one species each and grow them in isolation from other species with which they could hybridise.
[attachimg=1]
M. WYSIWYG red flowered
[attachimg=2]
M. WYSIWYG yellow flowered
[attachimg=3]
M. WYSIWYG leaf of yellow flowered plant
[attachimg=4]
M. WYSIWYG leaf of red flowered plant
[attachimg=5]
M. WYSIWYG red & yellow flowered plants
-
Participants in the 2023 Census made mention of 50 Meconopsis taxa, but of these only 32 had flowered and produced seed, 13 of which had been grown by just a single person. Those which no participant succeeded in flowering in 2023 include: true M. napaulensis, M. superba, M. wallichii var. fusco-purpurea, M. simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia, M. sulphurea subsp. gracilifolia, M. speciosa and M. wilsonii (any of the subspecies).
[attachimg=1]
M. napaulensis, Laurebina Yak, Gosainkunda, Rasuwa, Nepal
[attachimg=2]
M. superba, Ha, Bhutan
[attachimg=3]
M. wallichii var. fusco-purpurea, Solukhumbu, Nepal
[attachimg=4]
M. simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia, West Sikkim, India
[attachimg=5]
M. sulphurea subsp. gracilifolia, Rutok, East of Lhasa, Tibet
-
Seed of only 14 Meconopsis species was donated to The Meconopsis Group seed exchange in 2023 and a further 6 species have been added to the list using previous years’ supplies from the seed bank, giving 24 subspecies in total. Only 9 species appeared on the SRGC seed list.
Taxa which have recently disappeared from the seed exchanges include: M. henrici, true M. napaulensis, M. wallichii var. wallichii, M. simplicifolia subsp. grandiflora and M. simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia. Some of these are definitely still in cultivation, so if you have them, be sure to take care of them.
-
Meconopsis in the garden, June 2023. According to the labels they are M. betonicifolia, M. betonicifolia alba, M. lingholm, Not sure about the tall red one but think it is a M. napaulensis look-alike plus M. Hensol Violet.
[attachimg=1]
-
Meconopsis in the garden, June 2023. According to the labels they are M. betonicifolia, M. betonicifolia alba, M. lingholm, Not sure about the tall red one but think it is a M. napaulensis look-alike plus M. Hensol Violet.
Thank you for posting this photo of your colourful group of flowering Meconopsis plants. Four of these are perennials and should flower again for years, forming clumps which can be divided to maintain their vigour. Now for the pedantic bit!
Your M. betonicifolia is most likely M. baileyi subsp. baileyi, M. betonicifolia alba is M. baileyi subsp. baileyi var. alba and M. Hensol Violet is also a form of M. baileyi subsp. baileyi, its correct name is M. baileyi subsp. baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’. So, you have three forms of the same subspecies with different colour flowers which should cross pollinate and produce fertile seed from which you should get a good range of colours, at least from second generation plants.
M. ‘Lingholm’ is a fully fertile cultivar derived by chromosome doubling from the sterile hybrid M. x sheldonii. If you have only one of these plants, it would be interesting to know if it produced fertile seed and, if so, whether or not it comes true to its seed parent plant.
Your red flowered plant appears to be an evergreen monocarpic, correctly named M. x complexa, which has probably now died. These hybrids were formerly known as M. napaulensis hort, but because M. napaulensis is highly unlikely to have played any part in this hybrid group of plants, M. x complexa is now the appropriate name. If several of these plants are grown together, they usually set seed and it would be very interesting to know if yours has.
-
Thanks Margaret, I,ll keep a look-out to see if I get any seedlings. I don,t keep labels next to plants now as they only reminded me what used to be there.
-
Based on the 2022 and 2023 Species Census results, only five taxa are considered to be “secure” in cultivation (category ‘A’). Of these M. baileyi subsp. baileyi is the one most commonly grown. It is widely available as plants and seeds and occurs in different colour forms, as Ian’s post demonstrates.
[attachimg=1]
M. baileyi subsp. baileyi has slightly smaller flowers than other big blue poppy species
[attachimg=2]
M. baileyi subsp. baileyi has cordate leaves; this feature easily distinguishes it from other similar species
[attachimg=3]
M. baileyi subsp. baileyi usually has single blue flowers in its wild form; its short style and stigma are another important distinguishing feature
[attachimg=4]
White flowered forms of M. baileyi subsp. baileyi are quite frequent in cultivation
[attachimg=5]
Cluster headed forms of M. baileyi subsp. baileyi are also popular and widely available
-
Steven Stehouwer asks: " looking for germination information for Meconopsis simplicifolia. Thanks."
-
Thank you for this thread Margaret, with such beautiful photos and clear information.
It's becoming a(nother) valuable resource on the Forum to refer back to 😎
-
Thanks, Ashley, it's great to get some feedback. Best of luck with your gardening and I hope you have a few Meconopsis species - your conditions should be ideal for growing them!
-
Steven Stehouwer asks: " looking for germination information for Meconopsis simplicifolia. Thanks."
I have germinated both subspecies of M. simplicifolia several times and in my experience, they are typical of most Meconopsis species in their requirements (unlike M. punicea, for example, which should be sown as soon as possible after it is ripe). The best time to sow them is totally dependent on your local weather/growing conditions. Here in the Scottish Borders, I am sowing mine now in mid-February and I hope they will germinate in mid-April, just as the weather should be getting warmer, light conditions better and they can grow away quickly. Seeds are said to require a period of stratification; mine always get that outside so I don’t know if it is essential for every species and for some it may have been enough to have been stored in the ‘fridge before planting. Once sown, they certainly must never dry out and I leave them outside fully exposed to rain and snow. After germination, they are very susceptible to slug damage and I protect them in frames, but still keep them well-watered.
Many growers sow their seeds earlier, in December or January. I correspond with one who lives in Cornwall who stratifies his seed in the 'fridge as soon as it is ripe and then sows them in mid-September. Once they have germinated, he is able to sustain them in growth because the light and temperature are so much better there than this much further north, but he does have them in a cold greenhouse and he covers them with fleece if there is a danger of frost. The advantage of sowing seed early is that the young plants are well developed by summer and possibly better able to survive hot dry weather. This is less of a problem for us further north!
If seeds germinate too early, before the local weather conditions allow them to grow away strongly, they frequently succumb to fungal disease. As weather conditions become more erratic, it is increasingly difficult to judge when is the best time to sow seed commensurate with local conditions.
I wish Steven Stehouwer the best of luck with his Meconopsis simplicifolia wherever he might be!
-
Thank you for this thread Margaret, with such beautiful photos and clear information.
It's becoming a(nother) valuable resource on the Forum to refer back to 😎
I agree with Ashley, this is a very valuable resource! :)
-
Regarding M. quintuplinervia - oddly enough I have plenty of germination, but 90% of the seedlings are pure albino... I'm assuming in-breeding might be the cause? Has there been any recent introductions of this species?
-
Albino quintuplinervia sprouts:
(https://i.imgur.com/yiJPESE.jpeg)
...and it seems a handfull of x cookei F2 are germinating in the pots, it'll be interesting to see what they end up looking like.
(https://i.imgur.com/sZsGcA4.jpeg)