Meconopsis manasluensis

Last updated

Meconopsis manasluensis
Meconopsis manasluensis P.A.Egan.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Meconopsis
Species:
M. manasluensis
Binomial name
Meconopsis manasluensis

Meconopsis manasluensis is a red-flowered Himalayan poppy belonging to Meconopsis subg. Discogyne, which forms a natural grouping of 6 or 7 species within the genus all characterised by a stylar disc surmounting the ovary (lacking in other Meconopsis ). As reflected by the species etymology, M. manasluensis is endemic to the vicinity of the Manaslu Himal of Gorkha district, central Nepal, where it grows at high elevation (ca. 4000 m) and so far remains known only from its type collection locality.

Contents

Meconopsis manasluensis is easily distinguished within subgenus Discogyne through its multiple flowering stems, unlike the single prominent fleshy stem in all other species. The closely related M. pinnatifolia is known from the same general locality in the wild, however possible mechanisms preventing cross-fertilisation between M. manasluensis and this species remain unclear.

Specimens of M. manasluensis were first collected on the joint Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh/University of Tokyo Manaslu '08 expedition to the Manaslu Eco-Tourism Area in 2008. [1] It was not until later herbarium research undertaken for preparation of the Flora of Nepal that the specimens were discovered to constitute a new species, subsequently described in 2011 alongside Meconopsis autumnalis . [2]

Ecology

Meconopsis manasluensis is found growing in alpine scrub ( Betula utilis , Berberis , Lonicera , Salix , etc.) and herb-rich alpine grasslands at elevations in and around 4000 m in moist, humus-rich soils. The plant is locally abundant, but a small or possibly severely restricted specific distribution may give cause for conservational concern. Flowering is July–August.

Related Research Articles

<i>Papaver</i> genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Papaver is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.

<i>Meconopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Meconopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae. It was first described by French botanist Viguier in 1814 who named it as poppy-like. The species have attractive flowers and have two distinct ranges. The 40 or so species are found in the Himalayas. Within the Himalayan types there is much debate as to what constitutes a particular species as many readily hybridise with each other and produce viable seed. It is likely that some individually named species are in fact a single species but with an under-appreciated morphological diversity.

<i>Papaver cambricum</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Papaver cambricum, synonym Meconopsis cambrica, the Welsh poppy, is a perennial flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It has yellow to orange flowers and is widely grown as a garden plant. It is a native of damp, rocky sites in upland areas of Western Europe from the British Isles to the Iberian Peninsula. It has been used since 2006 as the basis for the logo of the political party Plaid Cymru.

<i>Ulmus wallichiana</i> species of plant

Ulmus wallichianaPlanch., the Himalayan elm, also known as the Kashmir elm and Bhutan elm, is a mountain tree ranging from central Nuristan in Afghanistan, through northern Pakistan and northern India to western Nepal at elevations of 800–3000 m. Although dissimilar in appearance, its common name is occasionally used in error for the cherry bark elm Ulmus villosa, which is also endemic to the Kashmir, but inhabits the valleys, not the mountain slopes. The species is closely related to the wych elm U. glabra.

<i>Nepenthes campanulata</i> species of plant

Nepenthes campanulata, the bell-shaped pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant native to Borneo. It has also been reported from Palawan, the Philippines, though further field work is needed to confirm this identification.

<i>Rheum nobile</i> species of plant

Rheum nobile, the Sikkim rhubarb or noble rhubarb or पदमचाल, is a giant herbaceous plant native to the Himalaya, from northeastern Afghanistan, east through northern Pakistan and India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet to Myanmar, occurring in the alpine zone at 4000–4800 m altitude.

Meconopsis villosa, the Himalayan woodland-poppy, is an ornamental poppy, which is native of Nepal. The species was placed in the genus Cathcartia erected by J.D. Hooker to honour J.F.Cathcart, an Indian civil servant and amateur botanist who collected and hired native artists to illustrate the flowers of the Himalayas.

Eastern Himalaya

The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. It is widely considered a biodiversity hotspot, with notable biocultural diversity.

Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Ecoregion (WWF)

The Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, which lies between the tree line and snow line in the eastern portion of the Himalaya Range.

<i>Buddleja alternifolia</i> Species of plant

Buddleja alternifolia, known as alternate-leaved butterfly-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, which is endemic to Gansu, China. A substantial deciduous shrub growing to 4 metres (13 ft) tall and wide, it bears grey-green leaves and graceful pendent racemes of scented lilac flowers in summer.

<i>Lilium wallichianum</i> species of plant

Lilium wallichianum is an Asian species of bulbous plants in the lily family native to the Indian Subcontinent and to Myanmar. It is native to India, as well as Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

<i>Meconopsis autumnalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Meconopsis autumnalis, the Nepalese autumn poppy, is a yellow-flowered Himalayan poppy belonging to series Robustae, and is endemic to the Ganesh Himal range of central Nepal, where it was discovered in 2008 on a research expedition from the University of Aberdeen. In addition to several morphological features, the species is characterised by its late flowering period, which has more than likely resulted in a barrier to gene flow and subsequent evolutionary divergence from the closely related and sympatric species Meconopsis paniculata.

<i>Rheum australe</i> species of plant

Rheum australe, synonym Rheum emodi, is a flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. It is commonly known as Himalayan rhubarb,, Indian rhubarb and Red-veined pie plant. It is a medicinal herb used in the Indian Unani system of medicine, and formerly in the European system of medicine where it was traded as Indian rhubarb. The plant is found in the sub-alpine and alpine Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 m.

<i>Roscoea auriculata</i> species of plant

Roscoea auriculata is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in the eastern Himalayas, in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. auriculata, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.

<i>Roscoea capitata</i> species of plant

Roscoea capitata is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Himalayas, being found in Nepal. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. capitata, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

Meconopsis bella is commonly known as the pretty blue poppy. M. bella is a species of the genus Meconopsis which is found from central Nepal to southeastern Tibet. It is a herbaceous flowering plant and is a part of the poppy family Papaveraceae. This plant is also referred to as Meconopsis bella prain, since it was aptly names by the botanist Prain.

<i>Meconopsis horridula</i> Species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae

Meconopsis horridula, the prickly blue poppy, is a flowering plant from the family Papaveraceae. It is an endangered species that grows in high altitudes. The height of the plant varies from 20 cm to 1m. It is a monocarpic, dicot plant.

Solms-laubachia himalayensis is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. The specific epithet himalayensis is from the Latin, meaning "Himalayan".

<i>Meconopsis gakyidiana</i> species of plant

Meconopsis gakyidiana 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.

<i>Isodon atroruber</i> species of plant

Isodon atroruber is a species of flowering plant endemic to Bhutan. It differs from other species of Isodon in having deep wine red flowers in narrow panicles.

References

  1. Ikeda, H. & Watson, M.F. (2010) Plant collecting around Mt. Manaslu in 2008. Newsletter of Himalayan Botany 43: 11–13.
  2. Egan, P.A. (2011) Meconopsis autumnalis and M. manasluensis (Papaveraceae), two new species of Himalayan poppy endemic to central Nepal with sympatric congeners. - Further information including original species description and ecological notes.