M. 'Clydeside Early Treasure'
M. ‘Kingsbarns’ x M. ‘Lingholm’. Usually the earliest of the big blue poppy cultivars to flower. Its characteristics reflect the strong influence of M. grandis subsp. grandis in its genetic background.
Hybridised by: A. Jamieson, pre-2005. Introduced by: A. Jamieson, 2005.
Named by: E. Stevens, 2015. Registered by: E. Stevens, 2015.
Flowering: mid-April to May as a single flower arising from the false whorl of leaf bracts. The buds are long and narrow and the deep purple-blue nodding flowers are carried well above the foliage on pedicels which lengthen extensively. The petals are narrowly elliptic with ruffled undulate margins and do not overlap. Prominent narrow style.
Emerging foliage: Pale green narrow lanceolate leaves which are covered with dense short hairs emerge early in the spring.
Mature foliage: The basal leaves have long petioles and the lanceolate leaf blades have a few shallow serrate teeth on their margins. The leaf base is attenuate and the apex acute.
Fruit capsule: Ellipsoid, bluish-green and sparsely covered with a few straw-coloured bristles. In fruit the narrow style does not seem quite as prominent as in flower.
Etymology: So named because of its early flowering nature.