The famous sky-blue poppy of gardens worldwide, first taken to Europe from south-eastern Tibet.
- Group: Plant
- Plant type: Poppy
- Habitats: Forest understorey, grassy slopes
- Regions: Ü Tsang, Kham
Habitat and distribution
Forest understoreys and grassy slopes at 3,000–4,000 m in south-eastern Tibet (Tsona, Menling and Nyingtri) and north-western Yunnan (Flora of China).
Recorded in Ü-Tsang, Kham.
Ecological and cultural significance
A short-lived perennial of moist forest edges. The British officer F. M. Bailey pressed a specimen by the Yarlung Tsangpo in 1913, and Frank Kingdon-Ward brought seed to Britain in 1924 (Horniman Museum).
Threats
No specific threats documented in the wild.
Conservation
Not assessed by the IUCN Red List (no assessment found). Name note: botanists disagree on how to name the Tibetan plant (some call it M. baileyi; GBIF places it in Cathcartia).