Crarae

Meconopsis ‘Crarae’
 Meconopsis ‘Crarae’ 
 

   Infertile Blue Group.  MG No 14.

Named in 2000 by The Meconopsis Group.

Registered by The Meconopsis Group in 2002.

1 Young leaves showing red pigmentation.

Young leaves showing red 
pigmentation.

2. Mature leaves which arch to the ground,with long pedicels.

Mature leaves which arch to the 
ground with long pedicels.

2a Single leaf of M. 'Crarae' showing the white mid-rib.

Single leaf showing white mid-rib.

The sky blue Flower colour globular flowers of M. Crarae

Sky blue globular flowers.

Seed Pod

Mature fruit
capsule.

Meconopsis ‘Crarae’ is a very distinctive garden cultivar with globular flowers, which grows best in moist conditions. Large numbers of it were grown in Crarae Gardens in Argyll.

Description

The large, cup-shaped, nodding or semi-nodding, globular flowers have a satiny appearance. They can be a clear sky-blue or a mauve-blue with rounded to ovate broadly overlapping petals. Flowering is from mid May to June. There are usually two to three flowers in the false whorl.

Each flower has a narrow style, which sometimes shows a hint of pink, ending in a prominent stigma.

The fruit capsule is narrowly ellipsoidal and covered with straw-coloured bristles.

At first the young basal leaves are suffused with red-purple pigmentation. They are scarcely toothed and appear to be almost entire.

The mature basal leaves are pale green, oblong-elliptic in shape, on long arching petioles which reach towards the ground. This is a distinguishing feature for M. ‘Crarae’.

The mid-ribs are conspicuous and almost white. The mature basal leaves have well-defined shallow teeth on the margin.

The stem leaves are at almost 45⁰, so the stem is clearly visible. The false bract leaves are relatively large.

Meconopsis ‘Crarae’ is available from specialist nurseries. It is sterile and can only be propagated by division.

Meconopsis ‘Crarae’ at Branklyn Garden.

M Crarae overlapping sky-blue

The sky-blue or pale lilac flowers with overlapping petals.