M. grandis subsp. grandis 'Astral Blue'
A medium sized, fully fertile form of M. grandis subsp. grandis which has been in cultivation for many years. Syn. M. grandis ES 84 and Bobby Masterton's narrow-leaved grandis from Cluny.
Introduced by: R. Masterton. Named by: E. Stevens, 2015.
Registered by: E. Stevens, 2015.
Flowering: May-June. 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 mid-blue, open saucer-shaped, lateral facing to semi-nodding and have a rounded stigma. The petals are broadly ovate and overlapping with a slightly undulate margin.
Emerging foliage: Erect, narrow elliptic to oblanceolate blades on short stems. On emergence the leaves are suffused with a red-brown pigmentation.
Mature foliage: Spreading, narrow elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate blades on long petioles, leaf base attenuate and the apex acute. The leaf blades have only a few, relatively shallow, dentate-serrate teeth in their margins.
Fruit capsule: Large and glabrous. Ellipsoidal but narrowing towards the base, broad long style topped with a rounded stigma. Fertile.
Etymology: Presumably named on account of the flower colour. This cultivar was donated to The Meconopsis Group Identification Trial in 1998 by Mike and Polly Stone who grew it for many years in their garden at Fort Augustus. They had originally been given it by Bobby Masterton of Cluny House Gardens, Perthshire.