Himalayan Blue Poppy is the national flower of Bhutan. The scientific name of Himalayan Blue Poppy is Meconopsis Grandis. But Japanese National Biodiversity center and the Blue Poppy Society declared after three years of study on blue poppy that they have not found Meconopsis Grandis species blue poppy in Bhutan. It was misidentified earlier. Then they renamed it by Meconopsis Gakyuidiana.
The national flower of Bhutan Himalayan Blue Poppy comes from the family of Papaveraceae. It is locally known as ‘Euitgel Hoem’. Himalayan Blue Poppy is the world’s most rare flower. Once upon a time, the Bhutanese treated this flower to be a myth because of its endurance not been confirmed by anybody.
Suddenly they found the blue poppy flower on the high mountain passes, which started from far eastern part of Bhutan across to the western part. In 1990, the sate body of Bhutan have been selected the Himalayan blue poppy as the National flower of Bhutan. The people of Bhutan has a great tale that blue blood runs through Himalayan Blue Poppy and that is why it is declared as National flower of Bhutan.
Facts about Bhutan’s National Flower: Himalayan Blue Poppy
- Common Name: Himalayan Blue Poppy/ Euitgel Hoem
- Genus: Meconopsis
- Species: Gakyidiana
- Found in: Himalayan top passes at elevation of around 3000m to 4000m above sea level
- Color: Red, white, purple, and pink
- Number of petals: 5
- Form of the tree: Round
- Time of blooming: June to August.
- Purpose: Fragrant
- Leaves: Ornamental
- Symbolism: Royal/Blue blood
Himalayan Blue Poppy is the favorite national flower symbol of the Bhutan’s people. It grows all over the Himalaya and they have to fight for survival in life-threatening conditions like minus temperature. Blue poppy grow in sandy and moist soil and its need huge amount of moisture to grow.
Himalayan Blue Poppy is called one time flower. 4/5 flowers come in one stem. To grow a plant, it takes two to three years after seeding in the soil. Himalayan Blue Poppy mostly grow abundantly in Paro valley at Chelela pass of Bhutan. It is a rare flower and now it will going to be quite rare due to random depleting.
One of the main reason of depletion of blue poppy is the people of other district dig away for planting it in their own area. 150 blue poppies were spotted in 1990 but by the late 2002 the number is depleted to only 11 spot consensus conducted by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature. Poppy seeds have great nutritional value.Poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum),
Nutritional value per 100 g.
- Energy: 525 Kcal 26%
- Carbohydrates: 28.13g 22%
- Protein: 17.99g 32%
- Total Fat: 41.56g 139%
- Dietary Fiber: 19.5g 51%
Electrolytes: - Sodium 26 mg 2%
- Potassium 716 mg 15%
Minerals - Calcium 1438 144%
- Magnesium 347 mg 87%
- Copper 01.627 mg 181%
- Manganese 6.707mg 292%
- Iron 9.76mg 122%
- Selenium 13.5mg 24%
- Zinc 7.9mg 72%
- Phosphorus 870mg 124%
The Himalayan Blue Poppy has great medical value. Its leaves are used to prepare Herbal Tea, which are very useful for herbal treatment of High Blood Pressure. Blue poppy seeds are used for Diarrhea and abdominal Cramps. It is also helpful for constipation problem. The seed paste of blue poppy used as muscular pain reliever. The seed contain Oleic acid that is helpful for the treatment of breast Cancer.
To sum up, the Himalayan Blue Poppy flower is the most attractive flower in Bhutan. It is the symbol of Royalty as well as symbol of blue blood. People of Bhutan have reasonably selected the Himalayan Blue Poppy as the National Flower of Bhutan.