Flora of North America species comparison

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Papaver argemone

Papaver rhoeas

long prickly-head poppy, pale rough fruit poppy, prickly pod poppy

amapola, common poppy, coquelicot, corn poppy, field poppy, flanders poppy
Habit Plants to 5 dm, hispid. Plants to 8 dm, hispid to setulose.
Stems

simple or branching.

simple or usually branching.
Leaves

to 12[-20] cm.

to 15 cm;

distal often somewhat clustered.
Inflorescences

peduncle appressed-hispid.

peduncle sparsely to moderately spreading-hispid throughout.
Flowers

petals dark red, sometimes with dark basal spot, to 25 mm;

anthers pale blue;

stigmas 4-6, disc convex and radially vaulted.

petals white, pink, orange, or red, often with dark basal spot, to 3.5 cm;

anthers bluish;

stigmas 5-18, disc ± flat.
Capsules

sessile, oblong to clavate, distinctly ribbed, to 2 cm, sparsely and weakly setose.

sessile or substipitate, turbinate to subglobose, obscurely ribbed, to 2 cm, less than 2 times longer than broad.

Papaver argemone

Papaver rhoeas
Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Fields and disturbed sites Fields, pastures, stream banks, railroads, roadsides, and other disturbed sites
Elevation 0-300 m (0-1000 ft) 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; OR; PA; UT; Europe; sw Asia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CT; DC; IA; ID; IL; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WV; MB; NB; NS; ON; QC; SK; Europe; sw Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In its native range, Papaver argemone is a complex of five diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid subspecies (J. W. Kadereit 1986, 1990). Apparently two or more of these have been represented among the crop weeds and ballast waifs introduced in North America, where plants are difficult to assign to particular subspecies. The species should be expected elsewhere in the flora. Collections attributed to Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia are known also, but they lack more specific citations of locality.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

J. W. Kadereit (1990) suggested that Papaver rhoeas originated on the east coast of the Mediterranean, probably derived from one or more of the other species of the section that are native in that region, and only after (and because) "suitable habitats in sufficient extent were provided by man." Various forms with pale pink or white, unspotted, sometimes doubled petals are grown for ornament, notably the Shirley poppies. In North America, the species escapes from cultivation fairly readily and has been introduced also as a crop weed.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Argemonidium Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Rhoeadium
Sibling taxa
P. alboroseum, P. californicum, P. dubium, P. gorodkovii, P. hybridum, P. lapponicum, P. macounii, P. mcconnellii, P. nudicaule, P. orientale, P. pygmaeum, P. radicatum, P. rhoeas, P. somniferum, P. walpolei
P. alboroseum, P. argemone, P. californicum, P. dubium, P. gorodkovii, P. hybridum, P. lapponicum, P. macounii, P. mcconnellii, P. nudicaule, P. orientale, P. pygmaeum, P. radicatum, P. somniferum, P. walpolei
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 506. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 507. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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