Meconopsis cambrica

[P. Kohn]

Does anyone know whether a decision has been made about the naming of Meconopsis cambrica ?  As I understand it, genetic studies conform that this species really belongs in Papever and the Plant List already has already given Papaver cambricum as the correct name. However, my 2015 Plant Finder sticks to Meconopsis cambrica and the current Wikipedia entry states the problem (returning M. cambrica to Papaver leaves no type species for the genus Meconopsis) but gives no indication that the issue has been resolved.

[ian mcdonald]

I use the names I have been brought up with. A rose is a rose by any name. Some people have nothing better to do but spend their time changing the names of all species of wildlife. Wildlife can,t read.

[Karaba]

I don't have the original paper (Kadereit J.W, Preston C.D & Valtueña F.J (2011) Is Welsh Poppy, Meconopsis cambrica (L.) Vig.(Papaveraceae), truly a Meconopsis ?. New Journal of Botany, 1(2), 80-88.) only the summary but there is a recent study about Meconopsis phylogeny that support the same results. Taxonomical consequences of this last study may turn upside down all the actual taxonomy of Meconopsis, Papaver and some other close relatives (Stylomecon and Roemeria).

[P. Kohn]

Thanks for drawing my attention to this paper, Karaba.  Very interesting - pity I can't read all the tables (print too tiny) !!

[ashley]

... Very interesting - pity I can't read all the tables (print too tiny) !!

Once you download the paper ('Download pdf', upper right) and open it in Acrobat you should have the option to enlarge the image:

[Tristan_He]

Nice paper, though really the results are not all that surprising. Welsh poppy really doesn't look much like any of the Himalayan species, even to my untrained eye. The molecular results do seem to agree pretty well with broadly'what the plants look like'.

Sadly we might lose the name Meconopsis if the full implications of this are followed through by taxonomists, because according to Chris Grey-Wilson's book M. cambrica was the original species for this genus. Groan.