Meconopsis horridula

Meconopsis species are erect, annual or perennial herbs, monocarpic or polycarpic with yellow fluid. Stem scapose or leafy, simple or branched, often woody at the base. Leaves mostly radical, some cauline, bipinnatifid or pinnatipartite, rarely palmatifid, margin entire, shortly petiolate to sessile. Inflorescence panicle, raceme, axillary cymules or pseudoumbellate. Flowers bisexual, axillary or terminal on scapose stems, pale blue, purple, red, pink, actinomorphic, showing bilateral symmetry, pedicellate, Sepals 2, ovate, elliptic, caducous, petals 4 sometimes 5-9, obovate, with showy colors. Stamens many, filaments filiform, linear, with showy colors as petals. Ovary obovoid-ellipsoid or subglobose, unilocular, sessile, ovules few to many, style slender, distinct, stigmas 2-12, free or confluent on decurrent lobes. Fruits capsules, cylindric to subglobose, ellipsoid-obovoid, dehiscing by interplacental valves in upper apex part, rarely at the base. Seeds many subreniform, oblong-ellipsoid, usually papillose, rugose or smooth.

Meconopsis species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: July-September.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., dispersal by wind, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Monocarpic erect, prickly herbs, with yellow fluid, about 10-50 cm tall. Stem simple or subscapose, clothed with glabrous persistent leaf sheaths at the base, covered with firm, spreading or deflexed pale yellowish prickly bristles throughout, about 3-7 mm long. Tap roots narrow elongated about 10-25 cm long. Leaves mostly basal or subbasal, rarely few cauline, variable, oblanceolate-obovate, oblong-elliptic, about 5-18 x 1-4 cm across, base narrow decurrent, margin ciliate, apex obtuse to acute, bristle hairs on both sides, above and beneath, petiole widened at the base, bristly, upper cauline leaves smaller, about 1-10 cm long. Flowers bisexual, variable axillary or terminal, arising from the axils of the basal leaves, about 3-10 flowered, about 4-6 cm across, pale blue to purple, red, pedicels slender, with firm bristles, about 2-15 cm long, buds subglobose-obovoid with bristles, Sepals 2, oblong, apex obtuse, spiny or bristly, about 1-2 cm long, petals 4-8, obovate, apex denticulate, blue, purple, red rarely white, margin entire, about 2-3 x 2-3 cm across. Stamens numerous, filaments filiform, linear, with showy colors, about 0.5-1 cm long, anthers golden yellow, basifixed, about 8-12 mm long. Ovary obovoid-ellipsoid or subglobose, unilocular, densely spiny or prickly, style slender, distinct or conspicuous, stigmas capitates or clavate, free or confluent on decurrent lobes, swollen at the base, about 4-10 mm long. Fruits capsules, ellipsoid-obovoid, oblong-subglobose, bristly, about 10-20 mm long, dehiscing by 3-5 interplacental valves, base thickened. Seeds many, subreniform, about 8 mm long.

Meconopsis species are susceptible to insect pests, moulds and rusts.

Alpine Himalayas, altitude about 4000-5100 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental.