Seed Exchange

Please note that participation in the Seed Exchange of The Meconopsis Group is restricted to members only. Details of how to participate will be made available by the Seed Exchange Manager, Jim Jermyn (email: seedexchange@meconopsis.org) in late summer or early autumn. For details of membership application see Contact, Membership.

Whilst Meconopsis are available from specialist nurseries, growing from seed is an important alternative for acquiring a range of species, these often unavailable from nurseries. There is also of course the advantage of being able to raise a number of seedlings at minimal cost, for a bigger display, or to try in various situations in the garden. The Meconopsis Group seeks to promote the growing of Meconopsis from seed through its Seed Exchange. Of particular importance in the interests of conservation is the growing of the trickier species. Many of the latter are monocarpic and therefore need to be raised regularly from seed in order to keep them in cultivation.

Notes on seed collection
A much valued task undertaken by many members is the collection and donation of seed to the Seed Exchange, and thanks is due to those who put effort into doing this. To help members, and others, we provide the following notes:

1. Harvesting, cleaning and storage
Seed should be harvested when ripe. An indicator of this is when the seed-capsules darken in colour and the valves of the capsules begin to split apart, this in most cases occurring for a short distance from the apex downwards (see photographs below of capsules of cut capsules of M. 'Lingholm' and ripe seed).

Ripe seeds can then be shaken out of the capsules. There will probably be a mixture of good, plump viable seeds, aborted, improperly developed seeds which are dust-like and flattened, and bits of the capsule tissues. The good seed should be separated from the rubbish and placed in paper (or polythene) envelopes. Storage in a domestic refrigerator is usually stipulated, but this is probably not necessary as long as the seeds are kept dry and in a cool room. It is often stated that Meconopsis seeds do not have long viability, but we have evidence that at least some of the species and the fertile hybrid M. 'Lingholm' will remain viable for at least two seasons.

2. Identification and correct naming
An aim of paramount importance is correct identification of plants. Whilst in specialist societies dealing with a vast number of species, it is often difficult to ensure correct naming of all the seeds submitted to their seed exchanges, this should be possible for a group of plants with relatively few species, such as our own.
However, it is clear that problems do exist and members are urged to try to make sure the seeds sent to the Seed Exchange are correctly identified.
The following notes are aimed to help with this.

M. betonicifolia, M. 'Lingholm' and M. grandis
It has become clear that gardeners often have problems distinguishing amongst M. betonicifolia, M. 'Lingholm' and M. grandis. Our investigations show that a high proportion (up to 50%) of the seeds sent to specialist societies' seed exchanges under these names are incorrectly labelled. But reference to the pictures below taken from other parts of our web-site should enable distinguishing between these.

Other species
Not only the big perennial blue poppies, but other species as well sent to the Seed Exchange, are sometimes incorrectly identified. This may well be as a result of having grown the plant under the wrong name in the first place! And for some taxa, e.g. the horridula complex, taxonomic revisions are currently underway. But whatever their names, gardeners like to grow these lovely plants, so please send your seeds to the Seed Exchange.

Suggested procedure
To help with the problems of identification and naming, our committee has suggested various measures.

• Attempt to verify the identity of your plants by reference to descriptions in books and by discussion with fellow enthusiasts, if this is possible.
• If you still have any doubts about the identity of your plants, please include explanatory notes for the Seed Exchange Manager when you send your seed to the Exchange. Also, in this age of the digital camera, it should be easy for many members to take photographs which can then be sent, either printed or by email, to the Seed Exchange Manager. Hopefully, Jim Jermyn will then be able to clarify and verify the naming of the species submitted to the Seed Exchange.
• Also include details of growing conditions of plants from which your seeds are collected, e.g. whether grown in isolation or in proximity to other species with which they may have crossed.

Note from James Cobb (Autumn 2005)
James Cobb has asked for the following to be added to the Seed Exchange page and to be distributed to members with the Seed Exchange letter.

" I planted three variants of purported Meconopsis grandis in Caithness some years ago. One of these was submitted to The Meconopsis Group Seed Exchange in 2004 as 'M. grandis Bobby's narrow-leaved form'. This seed has germinated well for me BUT it is I fear M. 'Lingholm'. If you have grown this please do not re-submit the seed as Bobby's narrow-leaved form of M. grandis. The up-side is that I planted these 'Lingholm' extensively in Cumbria and Caithness and they were quite brilliant, large uniform and a perfect blue in a year when many Meconopsis were wishy-washy coloured.

A word of warning. We must recognise that M. 'Lingholm', being seed-raised, is a bit variable, and ideally, seed for sending to the seed exchanges should be selected from the best of plants, such as those just referred to and in the accompanying photograph. We must also be on the look-out for hybridising between 'Lingholm' and other Meconopsis, and if you have good 'Lingholm', keep it pure if you can. To help with identification, if you are not familiar with the differences amongst these plants. pictures of my excellent M. 'Lingholm', M. 'Kingsbarns' and true M. grandis, such as Bobby's narrow-leaved form, are shown. "

M. 'Lingholm' in Cumbria in 2005, photo by James Cobb. M. 'Kingsbarns' in Perthshire in 2005, photo by Evelyn Stevens, identity confirmed by James Cobb, raiser of this cultivar. M. grandis, in Perthshire, photo by Evelyn Stevens of a plant purchased from Ron McBeath in 1997.

M. 'Lingholm' is clearly quite distinct from the other two plants (see also seed-capsule in set of pictures of seed-capsules earlier on this page). The two others are similar with slender leaves and single flowers arising at the apex of each main flowering stem (peduncle). However, whilst in M. 'Kingsbarns' the peduncle, (at the apex of which arises a false whorl of leaves, this being the point at which the single flowers arise), is relatively long, in M. grandis it is relatively short, arising a short distance above soil level. In both, the pedicels (stems which bear each individual flower) lengthen considerably and strikingly after flowering and the similar large capsules are glabrous (see picture above of a seed-capsule of M grandis,). Note, however, that in plants raised from seed of M grandis collected from the wild in more recent years (e.g. N.E. Nepal in 2000), the capsules may be similar to these, but bear bristles, and occasionally there is more than one flower per false axil.

Finally, please do not be discouraged from sending seed, even if you are unsure of names. This is a study group, and by sending seed with comments (and photographs, if possible), we should gradually be able to make progress in our knowledge of this beautiful genus.