Meconopsis gakyidiana

Meconopsis gakyidiana is a loose tuft forming plant with short rhizomes and tall stems. Leaves are more or less alternate on the main stem and they are yellowish-green in color. Flowers are bowl shaped and they usually change color from purple to blue, often pale blue-tinged with purple. Sometimes dark red but rare. It is similar to Meconopsis baileyi but differs from it with bowl-shaped flower with the distinctly concave petals, orange- coloured thecae and longer style[3].

Meconopsis gakyidiana is currently distributed across the eastern Bhutan, western Arunachal Pradesh of India, southern Xizang (Tibet) of China from 3,700–4,300m in elevation[3].

Meconopsis gakyidiana grows in the open shrubberies, lush pastures, beside rubble walls in grazing grounds, rarely on the sunny edge of sub-alpine forests, gregariously growing together with shrubs and other tall herbs[3].

The Meconopsis gakyidiana was earlier known widely as Meconopsis grandis. Scientifically it was classified as Meconopsis grandis subsp. orientalis in the past. This infraspecific epithet was upgraded to the current full species in 2017. The species name was derived from 'Gakyi' which is a Dzongkha word for happiness. The plant was named with the inspiration derived from the Bhutanese Development Philosophy of Gross National Happiness[4].