2018 



MECONOPSIS 



MECONOPSIS 



mound of beautiful cut foliage with rusty hairs, the sts. 

 slender, erect, paniculate: Ivs. at base stalked and 

 pinnately parted, the lobes ovate-oblong and sinuate; 

 st.-lvs. sessile, oblong, pinnatifid: fls. satiny, pale blue, 

 with crinkled round-obcordate petals; stamens very 

 many with oblong orange anthers: caps, oblong- 

 elliptic. Mountains (9,000-10,000 ft.), Cent. Asia to W. 

 China. B.M. 4668. F.S. 8:753. G.C. 

 III. 53:147. Gn. 71, p. 626; 73, p. 

 434; 77, p. 348. G.M. 57:637. R.H. 

 1912:204. J.F.3:315. G.7:449;31:387. 



AA. Sts. scape-like and simple (or wen 

 none), bearing 1 to many fls. at top, 

 more or less leafy: st.-lvs. various. 

 B. Plant with spines or rigid sharp 



prickles or hairs. 



C. Lvs. distinctly lobed: fls. blue 



or purple. 



5. aculeate, Royle. Probably 

 perennial, somewhat glaucous, 

 sparsely hispid-aculeate (with 

 short scattered prickles), 1-2 

 ft., leafy: Ivs. remotely irreg- 

 ularly pinnatifid, oblong or 

 lanceolate in outline, segms. 

 broad and variously lobed and 

 obtuse or acute, mostly prickly : 

 fls. slender-pedicelled, 2-3 in. 

 across, blue - purple ; p e t a Is 

 broadly obovate or obcuneate- 



rotundate: caps, broadly obconic, obovate or 

 oblong, prickly and bristly and at length becom- 

 ing glabrous. W. Himalaya, at high altitudes 

 (10,000-15,000 ft.). B.M. 5456. G.C. III. 46:90, 

 91. Gn. 65, p. 384; 75, p. 226. 



6. sinuata, Prain. Annual and biennial, prickly, 

 1-2 ft. or more, the st. leafy: Ivs. linear-oblong, 

 obtuse, irregularly sinuate-lobed and the lobes 

 entire, sparsely prickly: fls. pale blue-purple, hi 

 few-fld. raceme-like cymes, 2-3 in. diam.: caps, 

 narrow, sparsely prickly. E. Himalaya. Var. lati- 

 folia, Prain, is the form in cult. It is very like M . 

 aculeata, but differs in less-lobed Ivs., deep pink or 

 orange rather than pale green stigma, and caps, 

 longer, plant 1-4 ft., with spreading prickles: Ivs. 

 oblong, about 6 in. long and to 2 in. broad, obtuse, 

 irregularly lobed or sinuate: petals 1J^ in. long, 

 blue. Himalaya. B.M. 8223. G.C. III. 44:202 

 (as M. sinuata). Gn. 76, p. 316; 78, p. 240. 



cc. Lvs. nearly entire (or not lobed) : fls. blue 

 or purple. 



7. rudis, Prain. Annual (monocarpic), prickly, 

 1K-3 ft., the spines spreading and pale straw- 

 color, rhizome fusiform: Ivs. prickly both sides, 

 oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or acute, almost entire 



or sparingly toothed, narrowed to a wide 

 petiole, glaucescent beneath: fls. in raceme-like 

 cymes, 2% in. across, bright blue or pale pur- 

 ple, sometimes flushed with purple; petals 6-8, 

 ovate-oblong, obtuse; stamens numerous, with 

 blue filaments and yellow anthers: caps, sub- 

 globose or oblong. S. W. China, 13,000-15,000 

 ft. B.M. 8568. 



III. 42:31; 46:92. G. 34:161. 

 510. Offered abroad. 



Gn. 68, p. 384; 75, p. 



2342. Medeola virginiana 

 the Indian cucumber-root. 



8. racemdsa, Maxim. Very like M. aculeata, 

 but with entire Ivs. : perennial or biennial with thick elon- 

 gated root, with yellow prickles, sts. erect or ascending, 

 leafy below, 1-2H ft. : Ivs. glaucous, more or less prickly, 

 the basal ones linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, entire or 

 obscurely sinuate, the st.-lvs. contracted into short 

 winged petiole: fls. deep purple to pale lilac, in long 

 racemose cymes; petals 6 (5-8), obovate, spreading, 

 nearly 1 in. long: caps, with small appressed setae. 

 Cent. Asia to China, 14,000-15,000 ft. altitude. G.C. 



BB. Plant not spiny or prickly, glabrous or only setulose. 



c. Fls. yellow. 



9. integrifdlia, Franch. (Cathcdrtia integrifblia, 

 Maxim.). YELLOW CHINESE POPPY. Biennial, usually 

 reddish hairy, 1^-3 ft.: Ivs. mostly 

 radical, linear-lanceolate, to 8 in. long, 

 entire: fls. on scape-like sts., many on 

 each plant and a half-dozen open at same 

 tune, cup-shaped, very large (4-8 in. 

 across), bright sulfur-yellow or primrose- 

 yellow; petals 5-10, broadly obovate; 

 stigmas very many, large and nearly 

 sessile; style wanting. W. China, Thibet, 

 15,000 and more ft. altitude. B.M. 8027. 

 G.C. III. 36:240; 46:146; 50: suppl. 

 Nov. 11. G.W.9:534. G.M. 48:287. G. 

 27:633; 37:8. Gn. 67, p. 286; 73, p. 299; 

 78, p. 217. G.L. 20:114. F.S.R. 3:80. 

 Gng. 13:279. A.F. 24:781. (Some of these 

 references may apply to No. 10). 

 A remarkable and showy plant, 

 intro. to cult, something more than 

 10 years ago from the explorations 

 of E. H. Wilson. A good garden 

 subject. A hybrid is announced between 

 this species and M. grandis. 



10. pseudointegrifdlia, Prain. Closely 

 related to M. integrifolia, with which it 

 has been confused in cult.: differs in all 

 the scapes being radical, simple and 1-fld., the style 

 evident and with a narrower stigma. S. W. Thibet. 



cc. Fls. purple or reddish. 

 D. Proper st. none, the fls. borne singly (sometimes twin) 



on radical scapes. 

 E. Style none; fls. pink-red. 



11. punicea, Maxim. Annual (monocarpic), stem- 

 less: Ivs. tufted, radical, sparsely hairy, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, acute, entire, tapering to petiole: fls. large and 

 pendulous on scapes 16-20 in. high, arising directly 

 from the crown, very dark pink and showy; petals 4, 

 or more in cult., ovate-oblong, 4 in. long and 2% in. 

 across; stamens many, the filaments flattened: caps, 

 ovate, 1 in. long. W. China, Thibet. B.M. 8119. 

 G.C. III. 36:289. G.M. 48:315. G.W. 10, p. 273. 

 Gn. 67, p. 318. 



BE. Style evident, even though short; fls. blue and purple. 



12. simplicifolia, Don. Annual or biennial (mono- 

 carpic), stemless, the foliage radical and tufted, spa- 

 ringly hirsute : Ivs. ovate-lanceolate, acute or somewhat 

 obtuse, entire or toothed, narrowed to petiole: fls. 

 large (3 in. across) and showy, clear blue, on hirsute 



scapes 12-18 in. high, inclined but not 

 nodding; petals 6-8, ovate; stamens 

 many, with narrow filaments: caps, 

 very narrow. Himalaya. B.M. 8364. 



13. bella, Prain. Perennial, very 

 small, the radical Ivs. only 2-4 in. long; 

 stemless, the rpotstock stout and fusi- 

 form: Ivs. pinnatisect, the segms, 

 small, ovate-oblong:, fls. many, on 

 simple 1-fld. scapes 3 in. or less long, 

 pale blue; petals 4 or 5, broadly ovate, 

 1% in. long and 1% in. across; stamens numerous, the 

 filaments blue: caps. %in. long, pyriform. Himalaya; 

 local. B.M. 8130. G.C. III. 40:197. 



14. Delavayi, Franch. Annual (monocarpic), 5-9 in. 

 tall, with long thick and fleshy roots: Ivs. all radical, 

 glaucous, lanceolate, attenuate or cordate at base, 

 glabrous above and with sparse colored hairs beneath: 

 fls. solitary on the scapes, half-pendulous, l^j-2 hi. 



