Fauna and flora that enjoy improved protection on the plateau

Prickly blue poppy

This plant grows in rocky areas and grassy slopes at altitudes ranging from 3,100 to about 6,000 meters. The flowers, usually blue or reddish-blue, are 5 to 7.5 centimeters in size, and the stalks are usually less than 22 cm long. The plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine because of its anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities.

It is hard for flowers to grow on the high-altitude plateau because of the low temperatures and strong winds.

Therefore, such plants are usually short and only have a few large petals, or alternatively many small petals, to attract insects for the purposes of fertilization.