The national flower of Bhutan is the Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis gakyidiana). In Bhutan, it grows to a height of 1 meter on the rocky mountain terrain, above the tree line at altitudes of 3500m to 4500m. Bhutanese tradition links this flower with the yeti of lore. The flower was discovered in 1933 by British botanist George Sherriff in remote part of Sakteng in eastern Bhutan.
Blue poppy has 13 species and falls under the family of papaveraceae. Blue poppy also comes in pink, white and red colors and are found in the country. The white-coloured blue poppy is endemic and found in Haa, a quaint town in south western Bhutan. About eight species are found in blue, while one species is red in color, and a few are white and purple.
Blue poppy starts flowering from June to August and they need lots of moisture to grow. They grow on sandy and moist soil
Blue poppy grows across the Himalaya and they survive in extreme conditions, such as freezing temperatures. And it’s amazing how this rare flower can grow in extreme conditions, and yet it is frail in nature. Blue poppy is said to flower once, after which it seeds and withers. It takes about two to three years for the seeds to grow into a plant.
Blue Poppy is the national flower because it’s said that blue blood runs through it and it’s a rare flower. About 5,603 plant species have been identified in the country, including about 576 wild orchids and 46 rhododendron and over 300 medicinal plants.
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