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Papaveraceae
Himalayan Blue Poppy
Meconopsis betonicifolia
The impossible made real.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
- Genus
- Meconopsis
- Native to
- Himalayas, Tibet, Yunnan
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- perennial herb
- Height
- 2-4 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- moist, acidic, humus-rich, cool
- Water
- high
- Hardiness
- 3-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- True blue is the rarest color in flowers, and the Himalayan blue poppy produces one of the most vivid blues in the plant kingdom.
- It caused a sensation at the 1926 Royal Horticultural Society show in London after being collected by plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward.
- It is notoriously difficult to grow, requiring cool summers, acid soil, and high humidity — it thrives in Scotland and the Pacific Northwest.
- The blue color comes from a unique interaction between anthocyanin pigments and metal ions in the petals.
- It typically dies after flowering unless the first flower spike is removed, forcing the plant to live on vegetatively.
Color meanings
0
mystery
1
imagination
2
the unattainable