M. grandis subsp. grandis 'Himal Sky'
A fully fertile form of M. grandis subsp. grandis. Syn. M. grandis ES104 and the plants nicknamed M. grandis Single-headed blue from Cluny Garden.
MG Rating: ★★★★   Awards: AGM (2013)
Named by: The Meconopsis Group, 2012. Registered by: The Meconopsis Group, 2012.
Flowering: Early May. Each stem only develops one flower on a pedicel which arises from the false whorl of leaves at the apex of the stem. The pedicels lengthen extensively during flowering so that the flowers are held well above the foliage. The flowers are blue to deep mauve-blue, open saucer-shaped, lateral facing to semi-nodding and have a rounded stigma. The petals slightly overlap towards their base and are oval to slightly obovate with undulate margins.
Emerging foliage: Spreading, long-bladed, narrow elliptical leaves which are essentially entire. Leaf base attenuate and the apex acute.
Mature foliage: The basal leaves are long-petioled with narrow elliptical or elliptical-oblanceolate blades. The leaf base is attenuate and somewhat asymmetric, the apex acute and the margins essentially entire.
Fruit capsule: Large glabrous ellipsoidal capsules which taper towards their base with a short style and stigma. Fully fertile.
Etymology: This cultivar, purchased from Ron McBeath, Lamberton Nursery as M. grandis, was initially only propagated by division but it appears to come true from seed and many of the plants now grown under this cultivar name will have been seed raised. Seed was once distributed under the name M. grandis ES104. The cultivar is similar to other plants of M. grandis which have been grown in Scottish gardens for many years, particularly the one nicknamed M. grandis Single-headed blue which grows at Cluny Garden, Perthshire.