Monday 7 March 2005

Meconopsis sinuata - Photos In The Wild

Bhutan: Martin Walsh. A 2010 image by Margaret Thorne from Bhutan. The long black style seems to typify this species although it is not mentioned by Taylor in his mongraph.
Long calpsule and long narrow style with small stigma in this case covered with pollen. This relatively unknown species photographed in Bhutan by Margaret Thorne. An image of the leaf with scale. Using a scale of some sort in an image can very very useful for identification purposes. This clearly shows it to be a modest sized plant. Margaret Thorne.
Another image from the same site in Bhutan. Note there are dark marks associated with the indentations of the leaves. Apparently most specimens showed it. It is probably either simple damage at weak points of the leaf (previous wind?) or the beginnings of a fungal infection. Taylor - based on herbarium material - suggested the lower leaves were lost at flowering tiime so perhaps they are dispensible at this stage. He also noted that species usually only had one flower out at a time or even was single flowered. Margaret Thorne. Slightly different flower colour from the same site. Margaret Thorne.
A white form of this species from the same area of Bhutan by Margaret Thorne. Note in the enlarged image the margins of the leaves where there are natural indentations and perhaps areas of weakness are either wind damaged or have a fungal infection or possibly the latter induced by the former. Close up of white form from Bhutan by Margaret Thorne. The stigma is long and pale green. The long black stigma in the blue form needs investigation to see if it is universal in this species.
White form from same area of Bhutan, note the dissected leaf which also shows damage or fungal infection. Margaret Thorne. White form image again showing leaf damage. Margaret Thorne.
Underside of leaf to show small size of the species. Margaret Thorne.