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A new The opening of species of an area of Bhutan to tourists has resulted in the discovery of a new blue . Toshio Yoshida, Rinchen Yangzom and David Long describe their research and name it as a new species.

aa district, located in the far west of Bhutan, was H opened to foreign travellers at the end of 2001. A Japanese tour group was permitted to visit the western highlands of the district in the summer of 2006. Hideo Takahashi, a member of that group, photographed some of Meconopsis, including M. superba. These photographs showed that this species was still surviving in Haa, 57 years since Frank Ludlow and George Sherriff collected the in the same area in 1949. Since then, many tour groups from Japan and other countries have visited the highlands of Haa and photographed plants of Meconopsis, as well as many other plants. Although normally white-flowered, some of the photographs showed All photographs by Toshio Yoshida M. superba with pinkish, or rarely deep pinkish, flowers. They also showed hybrids between M. superba and M. paniculata growing in the Meconopsis elongata growing at 4,050m on Tsabjo La in Bhutan, southern habitats of M. superba; its type locality these have pale yellow flowers ➤

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and intermediate-shaped leaves and fruits. More interestingly, an unknown species of a prickly blue poppy with long racemes and five or more petals was found in and around the northern habitats of M. superba.

Field studies We began field studies of this prickly blue poppy in the summer of 2013, as a collaboration between the Blue Poppy Society, Japan, and the National Biodiversity Center, Bhutan. These field studies had been preceded by studies of photographs taken by travellers in the region. Magnified images revealed a very curious feature of the plant; the Top left: An upturned flower ofMeconopsis stamens had strikingly bicoloured elongata at the end of flowering with recurved strings of elongate vascular bundles protruded filaments. In each filament the lower from the filaments. 5–10mm is straight, thick and dark Above: Meconopsis elongata with petals removed purple in colour, and the upper showing bicoloured filaments. Right: Meconopsis elongata at 3,750m on Chele La 1–2mm is often curved, slender and at the boundary between Haa and Paro districts. white, consisting only of a narrow string of elongate vascular bundles

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DESCRIPTION Meconopsis elongata Tosh. slightly raised and usually tinged black vascular bundles from which dangles Yoshida, R. Yangzom & D.G. to an irregular degree. Leaves crowded the anther; anthers 1.5–2.8mm long, Long, sp. nov. near base of stem; petiole broadly 0.5–0.7mm across, thecae orange- Type: Western Bhutan, Haa district, linear, 2–6cm long, 1.5–3.5mm wide; yellow; ovoid or ellipsoid, west of Tsabjo La, 4,123 m, lamina elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, 5–10mm long, densely covered with 27°22’29”N, 89°12’47”E, 11 July 2013, 5–23cm long, 1.7–3.2cm wide, base ascending spine-like hairs; style 4–7mm R. Yangzom, R. Dorji & S. Gyeltshen cuneate or attenuate, margin sub- long in flower, to 13mm long in fruit; 628 (holotype THIM; isotypes E, TI). entire, often shallowly sinuate and ovoid or clavate, 1.5–2.2mm wavy, occasionally coarsely toothed or across, divided into 4–6 lobes, lobes diagnosis incised, apex obtuse or acute, both oblong, 2.5–3.5mm long. Fruit capsules Meconopsidis horridulae Hook. f. & surfaces yellowish green and covered cylindrically ellipsoid, 1.5–3cm long, Thoms. affinis, sed recemis longis, with patent spine-like hairs. Upper covered with patent spine-like hairs; capsulis longioribus et subcylindricis, leaves (bracts) shortly petiolate or seeds blackish, 1.5–1.8mm long. atque vascularibus fasciculis sessile; lamina similar to that of basal filamentorum elongatis et expositis leaves but smaller. Inflorescence distribution differt. racemose, rachis elongate, often Haa district and its adjacent Paro and Meconopsis elongata is related to comprising most of plant above ground; Thimphu districts (except their Hook. f. & Thoms., flowers in upper one third to two thirds northern portions), western Bhutan; but differs from the latter in its long of inflorescence ebracteate; pedicels 3,750–4,300m in elevation. racemes, the longer and sub-cylindrical erect or ascending, 2–8cm long in fruit capsules, and the existence of flower, to 12cm long in fruit, swollen at habitat elongate and exposed vascular bundles base of calyx. Flowers 9–20 per West- or south-facing rocky slopes, in the filaments. individual, usually semi- or fully- stony open gulleys or rock fissures nodding and bowl-shaped, occasionally above tree-line exposed to wet summer description laterally-facing and widely open in monsoon rains; rooting among rocks or Herb, usually monocarpic, occasionally strong sunshine, 4–5.5cm across; calyx gravel with scanty soil. semi-polycarpic, 35–80cm tall. Taproot 1.2–2cm long; petals 5–7(–9), pale blue- elongate, 10–20cm long, 7–10mm purple or pink, darker toward base, specimens examined broad, sometimes branched near head. obovate, broadly obovate, rounded or G. Dorji s.n. 2013 (THIM); Stem 1–10cm long, 6–13mm across, elliptic, 2.2–3.3cm long, 1.2–2.7cm R. Yangzom, R. Dorji & S. Gyeltshen occasionally few branched near base. wide; stamens numerous, filaments 628 (E, THIM, TI); R. Yangzom, Entire plant covered with patent spine- thick except near apex, 5–10mm long, T. Dorji & C. Wangmo 629 (THIM); like hairs; hairs pale straw-coloured, 0.3–0.8mm across, darker than petals, R. Yangzom & C. Wangmo 574 unequal in length, to 5.5mm long, rather with upper 1–2mm protruding as a (THIM), 579 (THIM); T. Yoshida thin but hard, base of larger hairs slender elongate string of whitish 4432 (TI), 4467 (TI)

A dissected and pressed flower ofMeconopsis elongata collected at its type locality

from which dangles a longish, yellow anther. The field studies in western Bhutan confirmed that the white, string-like portion of the filament is observed consistently in every flower of this prickly blue poppy with five or more petals. They grow on the alpine, rocky slopes of Haa and the adjacent Paro and Thimphu districts, although not in their northern regions. Another curious feature observed in the field is the occasional branching of the flower stem near ➤

179 TAXONOMY its base, so that a single plant can base of larger, spiny hairs. The prickly blue poppy we found appear to be tufted with several Meconopsis contains 76 species in the highlands of Haa and adjacent flowering stems. The plant is usually (Grey-Wilson 2014) and the genus regions shows the typical characters monocarpic, even if branched near is distinguished from by its of the genus, but with exception of the base of stem. However, it is floral characters of two caducous occasional branching at the base of suspected that the plant can (easily detached and shed early) stem and the bicoloured filaments occasionally be semipolycarpic due sepals, 4–13 thinly membranous and with a narrow portion. to the production of occasional side variously coloured petals, numerous shoots bearing rosette leaves. Other stamens, and a pistil with a style. Closely related species features of this plant are its long The simple stem is another common Meconopsis horridula is the only racemes, subcylindrical fruit character of the genus, except in very species of prickly blue poppy with capsules, and yellowish-green leaves rare cases of some branching at the five or more petals occurring in that are occasionally coarsely base, and this character separates it Bhutan (Grierson & Long 1984, toothed or incised, usually with from the closely related Cathcartia Grey-Wilson 2014). Descriptions of irregularly sized black marks at the (in part) and Parameconopsis. M. horridula in these publications

Meconopsis elongata at its type locality in Bhutan

180 September 2016 PlantsmanThe make no mention of bicoloured in M. horridula or its subsp. (Grey-Wilson 2014). Although filaments. drukyulensis. M. elongata has its closest We consider M. horridula subsp. In our opinion, these very relationship with M. horridula subsp. drukyulensis to be the taxon most significant differences are conclusive drukyulensis in series Racemosae, as closely related to the new plant, evidence that our prickly blue poppy mentioned above, the characteristics because of its racemose cannot be included in M. horridula, of bicoloured filaments with darker inflorescences, flower colour from but is a new species (described on and thicker filaments and white blue to pink, and its often coarsely p179) as M. elongata. strings of elongate vascular bundles toothed or incised, yellowish-green are somewhat shared by leaves. However, our plant differs Series placement M. balangensis and M. heterandra from subsp. drukyulensis in its longer The branching near the base of the in series Heterandrae. Therefore, racemes, smaller flowers, thicker and stem in M. elongata is a character M. elongata is best placed in series darker filaments (except at apex), probably shared only with Heterandrae. and longer, subcylindrical fruit M. manasluensis (Egan 2011) within capsules, in contrast to those of the racemose species of Meconopsis. Cultivation M. horridula that are shorter and However, M. manasluensis is quite Meconopsis elongata is likely to be more or less ellipsoid. Most unrelated to M. elongata and belongs easier to cultivate than M. horridula, distinctively, our plant has the to subgenus Discogyne, characterized and much easier than M. bhutanica slender, white, string-like, elongate by disk-like appendages borne at the (Yoshida & Grey-Wilson 2012), vascular bundles at the upper part of base of style. The bicoloured because of the milder conditions the filaments, which have not been filaments with exposed white strings of its native habitat. We hope that it reported, or observed by ourselves, of vascular bundles in M. elongata, will be a welcome newcomer to blue a unique character in the racemose poppy cultivation, with its unique REFERENCES species of the genus, are observed and interesting characters such as Egan, PA (2011) Meconopsis not only in this species but also in dangling anthers, branching at the autumnalis and M. manasluensis the two species of series Heterandrae, base of stem, and flower colour (), two new species of namely M. heterandra (Yoshida et al. changing from blue to pink. Himalayan poppy endemic to central 2010) and M. balangensis (Yoshida et Its eventual introduction to Nepal with sympatric congeners. al. 2011). However, the white strings cultivation should help fulfil one of Phytotaxa 20: 47–56 Grey-Wilson, C (2014) The Genus of these species are very short and the aims of The Meconopsis Group, Meconopsis – Blue and their inconspicuous, and not always stated by co-founder Evelyn Stevens, Relatives. Kew Publishing, Royal observed in all populations. to be: ‘The work of The Meconopsis Botanic Gardens, Kew Section Racemosae comprises two Group is now moving more towards Grierson, AJC & Long, DG (1984) series, Racemosae and Heterandrae the species, especially the rarer and Flora of Bhutan, Vol. 1. Royal Botanic more difficult species to grow, now Garden, Edinburgh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS that the primary aim of sorting out Hooker, JD (1875) The Flora of British India. L Reeve & Co, London We are grateful to Tashi Yangzome the big blue poppies in cultivation Yoshida, T, Sun, H & Boufford, Dorji, Program Director of National has been largely achieved’. DE (2010) New species of Biodiversity Center, Ministry of Meconopsis (Papaveraceae) from Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan, for the Mianning, southwestern Sichuan, Toshio Yoshida is a botanist and China. Acta Bot. Yunn. 32(6): 503– official approval of our collaborative field researches and the related photographer with a strong interest 507 in Meconopsis, based in Chiba, Japan Yoshida, T, Sun, H & Boufford, material transfers among us, and to Rinchen Yangzom is Curator of DE (2011) New species of Meconopsis the members of Blue Poppy Society, (Papaveraceae) from Balang Shan, Japan, for their financial support of the National Herbarium of Bhutan western Sichuan, China. Plant our field studies. Special thanks go to in Thimphu Diversity and Resources 33(4): 409– Shun Umezawa, Gyeltshen Dorji, David Long is a Research 413 Atsuko Kubo, Hideo Takahashi and Associate at Royal Botanic Garden Junko Yamashita for providing Yoshida, T & Grey-Wilson, C Edinburgh and former co-author of valuable field data and allowing us (2012) A new species of blue poppy. the Flora of Bhutan The Plantsman n.s. 11(2): 96–101 access to their photographs.

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