''Meconopsis autumnalis'', the Nepalese autumn poppy, is a yellow-flowered

Himalayan poppy ''Meconopsis betonicifolia'' ( syn. ''Meconopsis baileyi''), the Himalayan blue poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It was first formally named for western science in 1912 by the British officer Lt. Col. Frederick ...

belonging to series Robustae, and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Ganesh Himal __NOTOC__ Ganesh Himāl ( ne, गणेश हिमाल) is a sub-range of the Himalayas located mostly in north-central Nepal, but some peaks lie on the border with Tibet. The Trisuli Gandaki valley on the east separates it from the Langtang Hi ...

range of central

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, where it was discovered in 2008 on a research expedition from the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

. In addition to several morphological features, the species is characterised by its late flowering period (as reflected in the

specific Specific may refer to: * Specificity (disambiguation) * Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness Law * Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual * Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the fina ...

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

), which has more than likely resulted in a barrier to gene flow and subsequent evolutionary divergence from the closely related and

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

species ''

Meconopsis paniculata ''Meconopsis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It was created by French botanist Viguier in 1814 for the species known by the common name Welsh poppy, which Carl Linnaeus had described as ''Papaver cambricum''. ...

''. Specimens of ''M. autumnalis'' had twice previously been collected, by famous

plant hunter Botanical expeditions (sometimes called "Plant hunting") are scientific voyages designed to explore the flora of a particular region, either as a specific design or part of a larger expedition. A naturalist or botanist would be responsible for id ...

J. D. A. Stainton on his 1962 expedition with S. A. Bowes Lyon to central Nepal, and on the Flora of Ganesh Himal expedition undertaken by the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1994.Ohba, H. & Ikeda, H. (1999). ''A contribution to the flora of Ganesh Himal, Central Nepal (Nature and Culture, No. 5).'' University Museum-University of Tokyo, 84 pp. However, despite recognition as to the novelty of the plant implicated in Stainon's fieldnotes accompanying the species

paratype In zoology and botany, a paratype is a specimen of an organism that helps define what the scientific name of a species and other taxon actually represents, but it is not the holotype (and in botany is also neither an isotype nor a syntype). Of ...

(where it was described as 'easily distinguishable' from ''M. paniculata''), it was not until new collections and field observations in 2008 that the true status of the plant as a new species was definitely realised. It was formally described in 2011.

Ecology

''Meconopsis autumnalis'' grows in sub-alpine habitat commonly along stream margins, grassy alpine slopes or at edges and openings of ''

Abies Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The genus is most closely related to ...

'' forest. Commonly associated herbaceous species include ''

Rumex The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennial herbs with a native almost worldwide distribu ...

'', ''

Arisaema ''Arisaema'' is a large and diverse genus of the flowering plant family Araceae. The largest concentration of species is in China and Japan, with other species native to other parts of southern Asia as well as eastern and central Africa, Mexico ...

'', ''

Stellaria ''Stellaria'' is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed. Description ''Stellaria'' species are relatively small ...

'', ''

Nepeta ''Nepeta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. The genus name is reportedly in reference to Nepete, an ancient Etruscan city.

'', ''

Persicaria ''Persicaria'' is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the knotweed family, Polygonaceae. Plants of the genus are known commonly as knotweeds or smartweeds.Aster Aster or ASTER may refer to: Biology * ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants ** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English * Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...

'', ''

Swertia ''Swertia'' is a genus in the gentian family containing plants sometimes referred to as the felworts. Some species bear very showy purple and blue flowers. Many members of this genus have medicinal and cultural purposes. Plants of genus ''Fraser ...

'', as well as dwarf shrubs such as ''

Berberis ''Berberis'' (), commonly known as barberry, is a large genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from tall, found throughout Temperateness, temperate and subtropical regions of the world (apart from Australia). Species diversity is greatest in S ...

'', ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

'' and ''

Juniperus Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

''. The species ranges in elevation from 3300–4200 m, favouring stony, humus-rich soils. Similar to ''

Meconopsis manasluensis ''Meconopsis manasluensis'' is a red-flowered Himalayan poppy belonging to ''Meconopsis'' subg. ''Discogyne'', which forms a natural grouping of 6 or 7 species within the genus all characterised by a stylar disc surmounting the ovary (lacking in ...

'' and other ''

Meconopsis ''Meconopsis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It was created by French botanist Viguier in 1814 for the species known by the common name Welsh poppy, which Carl Linnaeus had described as ''Papaver cambricum''. ...

'' of Nepal, the species appears to exhibit a very limited geographic distribution, thus necessitating more in-depth conservation assessment. Flowering occurs in late July to September.

References

External links

Two new species of Himalayan poppy from Nepal
- News briefing, School of Natural Sciences - Trinity College Dublin.
Flora of Nepal
- Coordinated by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and partners. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2920797 autmnalis Endemic flora of Nepal Plants described in 2011