The Meconopsis Group

Seed from named Meconopsis cultivar

Although seed from a form of a species (e.g. Meconopsis baileyi ‘Hensol Violet’) should breed true, within the range of natural variation, this not the case for the Big Blue Poppies (e.g. Meconopsis ‘Jimmy Bayne’).  These fine cultivars, which probably are hybrids, seldom breed true from seed and produce inferior plants.  New plants of true Meconopsis ‘Jimmy Bayne’ can be produced only by the vegetative division of an adult plant.

Until 2016 the Meconopsis Group seed exchange did not include such seed as there was the possibility that, through human error, these inferior seedlings might get passed on, misnamed as the original cultivar plant.  This would have undone years of hard work spent identifying correctly named cultivars.  At the same time it was recognised that the seed could be important for selectively breeding a superior plant, which might be of such quality as to merit being a named cultivar in its own right.

The Meconopsis Group seed exchange uses an identifier number (MGS#), for each cultivar and does not describe such seed as ex ‘Jimmy Bayne’ or ex ‘Mop-head’ in order to avoid further confusion. MGS# seed should be used solely for research and hybridising purposes.