Meconopsis gakyidiana

Meconopsis gakyidiana (ཚེར་སྔོན་མེ་ཏོག in Dzongkha[1]) is a species of blue poppy native to Eastern Bhutan, Western Arunachal Pradesh of India and Southern Xizang of China . It is the national flower of Bhutan[2].

Meconopsis gakyidiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Meconopsis
Species:
M. gakyidiana
Binomial name
Meconopsis gakyidiana
T. Yoshida, R. Yangzom & D.G. Long

Description

Meconopsis gakyidiana is a loose tuft forming plant with short rhizomes and tall stems. Leaves are more or less alternate on the main stem and they are yellowish-green in color. Flowers are bowl shaped and they usually change color from purple to blue, often pale blue-tinged with purple. Sometimes dark red but rare. It is similar to Meconopsis baileyi but differs from it with bowl-shaped flower with the distinctly concave petals, orange- coloured thecae and longer style[3].

Range

Meconopsis gakyidiana is currently distributed across the eastern Bhutan, western Arunachal Pradesh of India, southern Xizang (Tibet) of China from 3,700–4,300m in elevation[3].

Habitat

Meconopsis gakyidiana grows in the open shrubberies, lush pastures, beside rubble walls in grazing grounds, rarely on the sunny edge of sub-alpine forests, gregariously growing together with shrubs and other tall herbs[3].

Etymology

The Meconopsis gakyidiana was earlier known widely as Meconopsis grandis. Scientifically it was classified as Meconopsis grandis subsp. orientalis in the past. This infraspecific epithet was upgraded to the current full species in 2017. The species name was derived from 'Gakyi' which is a Dzongkha word for happiness. The plant was named with the inspiration derived from the Bhutanese Development Philosophy of Gross National Happiness[4].

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References
  1. "Blue Poppy- the National Flower - Bhutan Biodiversity Atlas". Bhutan Biodiversity Atlas. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  2. "National flower renamed as Meconopsis gakyidiana". BBS. BBS. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. Yangzom, Rinchen; Long, David; Yoshida, Toshio (2017-01-17). "Dancing Butterflies of the East Himalayas New Meconopsis Species from East Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and South Tibet". Sibbaldia: The International Journal Of Botanic Garden Horticulture (14).
  4. "The National Flower Of Bhutan Found To Be A New Species!". Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
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