description
Papaver somniferum is a member of the Papaveraceae family.
This plant has many subspecies
or varieties and cultivars. It can be an annual or biennial herb; can range in height from 20 to 60 inches;
and be glabrous (smooth) or glaucous (covered with a waxy coating), sometimes with a few spreading bristles. Its stems
are slightly branched, with numerous large erect leaves. These leaves can be ovate to oblong in shape; edges can be serrate to
dentate-serrate. The leaves are clasping at base, glaucous, with the lower ones pinnatifid (arranged almost feather-like on opposite sides of a common axis).
Flowers in variety of hue bloom on long peduncles with nodding buds that expand into erect flowers with 4-8 petals.
Colors can be white to purplish, but also pink, blue, violet, or
rather more familiarly red.
The poppy's fruit a capsule, ovoid to globose (spherical) in shape, glabrous, 4–6 cm long, 3.5–4 cm in diameter, with 8–12 rayed
sessile stigmas. Its seeds oily, ranging in color from white, to dark gray, to black, or even bluish. The plant is in
flower in the summer months from July to August.
As mentioned, the colors of the flower can vary widely, as do other
physical characteristics, such as number and shape of petals, number of
flowers and fruits, seed color and number, the plant's production of opium,
etc.
The Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum group (which is sometimes called Papaver paeoniflorum) is
a subtype of opium poppies are grown in many colors and whose flowers are highly double.
P. somniferum Laciniatum group (which is sometimes called Papaver
laciniatum) is a subtype of opium poppy whose flowers are not only highly double but
deeply lobed and appear greatly ruffled, evoking a pompom.
common names & nomenclature
The Latin name of the poppy plant means the "sleep-bringing poppy". The flower's sap was later named
opion by the ancient Greeks, which evolved to its modern name of opium.
Also known as:
poppy, opium poppy, common garden poppy
