Poppy

A poppy is an annual, biennial, or perennial plant of the Family Papaveraceae, typically with showy flowers borne one per stem, native mainly to the Northern hemisphere and often grown for ornament, opium or food. 15–100 cm high, it yields a milky sap (latex) and bears large lobed or divided leaves and white, pink, orange, or red flowers, sometimes with a dark centre, with 4–6 petals around a whorl of stamens. The fruit is a capsule with pores through which the seeds are dispersed.

Genera in this family include:

• Meconopsis (Himalayan poppy, Welsh poppy, and relatives)
• Papaver (Iceland poppy, Oriental poppy, Opium poppy, corn poppy and about 120 other species)
• Romneya (Matilija poppy and relatives)
• Eschscholzia ( California poppy and relatives)

The poppy of wartime remembrance is the red corn poppy, (Papaver rhoeas). This poppy is a common weed in Europe and is found in many locations, including Flanders Field. Artificial paper versions of this poppy are made to recall those killed in World War I.

The pollen of the oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) is dark blue. The pollen of the field poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is dark blue to grey. Bees will use poppies as a pollen source.

The golden poppy, Eschscholtzia californica, is the state flower of California.

Papaver rhoeas

Poppy at High Wood cemetery, France. Poppies are often seen as a symbol of World War I

See also

• Remembrance Day
• In Flanders Fields