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Meconopsis
Also called Blue Poppies
Meconopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It was created by French botanist Viguier in 1814 for the species known by the common name Welsh poppy, which Carl Linnaeus had described as Papaver cambricum. The genus name means "poppy-like" (from Greek mekon poppy, opsis alike). Himalayan species discovered later were also placed in Meconopsis. In the 21st century, it was discovered that the Himalayan species were less closely related to the Welsh poppy, which has been restored to Papaver. All species now placed in Meconopsis are native to the Himalayas and surrounding regions. They have attractive, usually blue flowers.
The taxonomy of Meconopsis remains unsettled. Although many sources recognize the genus, others sink it into Papaver. There is also uncertainty over the number of species, as many readily hybridise with each other producing viable seed.
Himalayan varieties have the reputation for being difficult to grow from seed, but when germinating new plants, using fresh seeds will help. These plants are available in a variety of strong colours, including blue, red, orange, purple, white and yellow depending on species and cultivar.
All meconopsis require an acid or neutral soil pH, in a partially shaded sheltered position.
Thorny satin poppy · Nepalese Autumn Poppy · Meconopsis bella · Meconopsis bhutanica · Meconopsis gakyidiana · Blue Poppy · Prickly Blue Poppy · Meconopsis lancifolia · Meconopsis manasluensis · Satin Poppy · Harebell Poppy · Meconopsis simplicifolia
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Meconopsis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
