Previously, we introduced the Meconopsis Racemosa.Today, we will specifically talk about the variety of Meconopsis Racemosa that makes people fall for it at first glance – Meconopsis Jiajinsis.

Meconopsis Jiajinsis, also known as Dark Meconopsis balangensis , is a plant of the Papaveraceae family and the genus Meconopsis. Its flowering period is from July to August, and it grows on grassy slopes, high mountain gravel slopes, and flowing stone beaches at an altitude of 3900-4100 meters. It is distributed in western Sichuan (Xiaojin Jiajin Mountain Pass).

It and Meconopsis balangensis are both a type of Meconopsis Racemosa. In 2000, our founder Mr. Zeng Gang was the first to discover this Meconopsis Racemosa in Jiajin Mountain; In 2011, the late expert and plant photographer of the genus Meconopsis, Mr. Yoshida, proposed a name to the World Council for Plant Sciences and classified it together with the Meconopsis found in Mountain Balang as Meconopsis Balangensis.

In recent years, some taxonomists have separated it based on its characteristic of being only visible in Jiajin Mountain in western Sichuan, and pronounced it as Meconopsis Jiajinsis.

Although most Meconopsis flowers come in various shades of pink, blue, and blue purple, there are also a small portion that are white, yellow, and red. The most unique feature of Meconopsis Jiajinsis, apart from being found only in Jiajin Mountain so far, is its color. After being separately named, the full name of Meconopsis Jiajinsis is Meconopsis balangensis var Atrata, as can be clearly seen from its meaning, is a dark variant of the Meconopsis Balangensis. Its petals have a unique metallic luster, with deep wine red and enchanting black purple flowers. The noble and elegant colors of the petals have a strong contrast of golden stamens, making it particularly unique. Under certain ambient lighting conditions, some may exhibit a charming gradient from dark purple to burgundy, which is both alluring and romantic. Looking against the light, the light refracted from where the sunlight falls gradually lightens the layers of dark colors, making the flowers light and translucent.

The flower color of Meconopsis Jiajinsis combines the passion of red, the mystery of purple, and the repression of black, making it the most bizarre and eerie alphine flower I have ever seen. Against the backdrop of rugged rocks, the feeling of easily sinking is particularly strong, making people feel that this is neither a mortal flower nor a celestial object, which inevitably reminds them of a story about ghost flowers in the Ji Shen Lu. Its flowers are red, fragrant, lovely, and heavy, with a spiritual temperament comparable to that of a ghost flower. It is not surprising that it comes from the fate of gods and demons, and cannot escape at a glance.

The story of ghost flowers in Ji Shen Lu is very meaningful and long. It’s very interesting to share it with you after the Zhongyuan Festival Festival just past:

It is said that Jia Zhang, a friend of the monk Minchu from the Fayun Temple in Guangling, passed away. Minchu pray for blessings for him to recite scriptures for several months, and one day he unexpectedly met Jia Zhang in a market in the city. Chu asked, “Since you have already passed away, Why do you still stay here?” Zhang replied, “However, I have not given up on a small crime. I am now dead as a remnant of Yangzhou’s plunder.” Then he pointed some men and women passing by said, “They are all just like me.” So Min Chu and Jia Zhang went south together and met a woman selling flowers. Zhang said, “The flowers of this woman were also bought by ghosts, and the flowers were also used by ghosts. There is no use for them in the world.” Zhang then spent a few dollars to buy them and gave them to Chu, saying, “Anyone who smiles at this flower is a ghost.” Its red and fragrant flowers are lovely and heavy. Passersby have a smile when they see flowers. Minchu returned to the temple and felt that he was traveling with ghosts, and it was not good to bring ghost flowers into the temple. He decided to throw the flowers into the water. After returning home, he fell seriously ill and it took him a long time to recover. When everyone asked him what was wrong, he told everyone about his experience. The monks went to see the flowers he had thrown away, but it turned out to be a dead hand.

Special Notes

About Meconopsis: The popularity of Meconopsis in the West began as early as the 19th century. According to the latest data from the Plant Photo Bank of China (PPBC) in 2023, there are 94 species of Meconopsis plants, of which about 80% are located in China, distributed in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and Hengduan Mountains, and growing at high altitudes of 3000-5000 meters. Anyone who has seen Meconopsis will be attracted by its beautiful appearance. The genus Megonopsis, established by Louis G Alexandre Viguier in 1814, consists of two Greek words: Mekong poppy and Opsis image, which is why it is known as the Himalayan blue poppy in Western countries.

Yoshida Kosuke:The scientific discoverer of Meconopsis balangensis, Yoshida Kosuke, passed away due to illness in 2021 at the age of 72. He spent a lot of his life wandering around the western Sichuan Plateau, scientifically discovering and naming 9 species of Meconopsis, and publishing multiple plant atlases on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau.

Plant Photo Bank of China:a full-time plant picture management organization established in the Herbarium of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences in March 2008 under the support of the National Science and Technology Platform Project. The system collects, organizes, and stores plant photos, digital image source files, plant plates, and other original files and copies of plant related images for long-term preservation, providing image support for scientific research, popular science, and book publishing. Becoming an important platform for the public to obtain information on Chinese plant images.