A bibliometric review of global research status of Meconopsis

Several species of the genus Meconopsis are renowned ornamental and traditional medicinal plants with significant utilization value. This paper presents a comprehensive review of literature on the genus Meconopsis published between 1980 and 2019. A total of 250 studies obtained from CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and Web of Science databases were analyzed using CiteSpace V to determine the annual output of publications, main researchers, research institutions, research hotspots, and Meconopsis trends. The results showed an increase in publications related to Meconopsis; however, the citation frequency has varied over the years. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and its affiliated institutions have the largest contribution towards Meconopsis research, which is reflected in the number of publications. This is partly due to the geographical distribution of Meconopsis. Over the years research interest in Meconopsis has shifted from traditional taxonomical work, which was important in the formative years, to chemical and pharmacological studies using sophisticated techniques in molecular biology. Finally, based on the framework of mountain ecosystem structure and composition, functions and services diversity combined with the results of literature metrology, this paper systematically summarized the dominant disciplines, future application value, and the interaction and merging of different fields in the study of Meconopsis. In the future, cooperation and exchanges should be strengthened to better understand the benefits of Meconopsis, and expand multidisciplinary approaches to provide scientific support for sustainable utilization of wild plant resources. There is also a need to reinforce the protection of native species and trade-offs among different ecosystem services.