M. grandis subsp. grandis 'Great Glen'
A tall form of M. grandis subsp. grandis which has been grown in Scottish gardens for many years. It is now usually sterile but may occasionally set a few fertile seeds. Syn. M. grandis Early Sikkim Form.
MG Rating: ★★★   
Introduced by: M. & P. Stone. Named by: The Meconopsis Group, 2012.
Registered by: The Meconopsis Group, 2012.
Flowering: May to early-June. Each stem usually only develops a single flower on a pedicel arising 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. Nodding to half-nodding large bowl-shaped sky-blue flowers. The petals are obovate, rather fluted and undulate, and only slightly overlapping.
Emerging foliage: Spreading, pale green, elliptic to ovate-elliptic leaves on long petioles, the leaf blades covered with pale hairs. Leaf base attenuate, apex sub-obtuse.
Mature foliage: The basal leaves spread on long petioles. Leaf blades are elliptic to ovate-elliptic with the leaf base shortly attenuate and occasionally somewhat truncate, the apex sub-obtuse. The leaf margins are essentially entire being only indented with a few small teeth. The bract leaves forming the false whorl at the top of the stem are noticeably large with acute tips.
Fruit capsule: The large capsules are ellipsoid with only a moderate covering of straw-coloured reflexed bristles. The sutures are devoid of bristles. Substantial long twisted style with a prominent stigma. Essentially sterile.
Etymology: Named ‘Great Glen’ as it had been donated to The Meconopsis Group Identification Trial in 1998 by M. & P. Stone who grew it in their former garden at Fort Augustus situated in Glenmore Albin or the “Great Glen of Albin”. They had originally obtained the clone from Ascreavie in 1976 as M. grandis Early Sikkim Form.