FNA: Papaver somniferum vs. Papaver pygmaeum

	Papaver somniferum	Papaver pygmaeum
	common garden poppy, common poppy, opium poppy, pavot (commun)	alpine poppy, dwarf poppy
Habit	Plants to 15 dm, glabrate, glaucous.	Plants loosely cespitose, to 1.2 dm.
Stems	simple or branching.
Leaves	to 30 cm; blade sometimes sparsely setose abaxially on midrib; margins usually shallowly to deeply toothed.	to 5 cm; petiole to 2/3 length of leaf; blade blue-green on both surfaces, broadly ovate, 2x-lobed with 2 pairs of primary lateral lobes, glabrous or sparsely hirsute; primary lobes lanceolate to obovate, apex obtuse or rounded, sometimes bristle-tipped.
Inflorescences	peduncle often sparsely setose.	scapes erect or curved, sparsely hispid, trichomes spreading.
Flowers	petals white, pink, red, or purple, often with dark or pale basal spot, to 6 cm; anthers pale yellow; stigmas 5-18, disc ± flat.	to 2 cm diam.; petals yellow, or orange with yellow basal spot, or orange-pink; anthers yellow; stigmas 4-5, disc convex.
Capsules	stipitate, subglobose, not ribbed, to 9 cm, glaucous.	obovoid to obconic, 2-2.5 times longer than broad, to 1.5 cm, strigose, trichomes light (ivory).
2n		= 14.

	Papaver somniferum	Papaver pygmaeum
Phenology	Flowering spring–summer.	Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat	Fields, clearings, stream banks, railroads, roadsides, and other disturbed sites	Mountain summits, ridges, and screes
Elevation	0-1300 m (0-4300 ft)	0–2900 m (0–9500 ft)
Distribution	AZ; CA; CT; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; TX; UT; VA; VT; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; SK; Greenland; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America] [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	MT; AB; BC [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Unknown in the wild, Papaver somniferum probably came originally from southeastern Europe and/or southwestern Asia. It has been cultivated for centuries as the source of opium (and its modern derivatives heroin, morphine, and codeine), and also for edible seeds and oil. Various color forms with laciniate and/or doubled petals are grown for ornament. Widely introduced from cultivation and also as a crop weed, it should be expected elsewhere in the flora. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	This well-marked species has its closest relatives within the Papaver alpinum complex in the mountains of central and southern Europe, e.g., P. pyrenaicum (Linnaeus) Willdenow. The report of 2n = 42, attributed by D. Löve and N. J. Freedman (1956) to A. C. Fabergé (1944), is an error; it is based on material from Pikes Peak, Colorado, where P. pygmaeum has not been found (D. F. Murray 1995). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 3.	FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa	Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Papaver	Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Meconella
Sibling taxa	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. rhoeas, 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. radicatum, P. rhoeas, P. somniferum, P. walpolei
Synonyms		P. radicatum var. pygmaeum
Name authority	Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 508. (1753)	Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 159. (1902)
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, Go Botany, IL Wildflowers, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC Local Web sites: PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Papaver pygmaeum

common garden poppy, common poppy, opium poppy, pavot (commun)

alpine poppy, dwarf poppy

Habit

Plants to 15 dm, glabrate, glaucous.

Plants loosely cespitose, to 1.2 dm.

Stems

simple or branching.

Leaves

to 30 cm;

blade sometimes sparsely setose abaxially on midrib;

margins usually shallowly to deeply toothed.

to 5 cm;

petiole to 2/3 length of leaf;

blade blue-green on both surfaces, broadly ovate, 2x-lobed with 2 pairs of primary lateral lobes, glabrous or sparsely hirsute;

primary lobes lanceolate to obovate, apex obtuse or rounded, sometimes bristle-tipped.

Inflorescences

peduncle often sparsely setose.

scapes erect or curved, sparsely hispid, trichomes spreading.

Flowers

petals white, pink, red, or purple, often with dark or pale basal spot, to 6 cm;

anthers pale yellow;

stigmas 5-18, disc ± flat.

to 2 cm diam.;

petals yellow, or orange with yellow basal spot, or orange-pink;

anthers yellow;

stigmas 4-5, disc convex.

Capsules

stipitate, subglobose, not ribbed, to 9 cm, glaucous.

obovoid to obconic, 2-2.5 times longer than broad, to 1.5 cm, strigose, trichomes light (ivory).

= 14.

Papaver pygmaeum

Phenology

Flowering spring–summer.

Flowering Jul–Aug.

Habitat

Fields, clearings, stream banks, railroads, roadsides, and other disturbed sites

Mountain summits, ridges, and screes

Elevation

0-1300 m (0-4300 ft)

0–2900 m (0–9500 ft)

Distribution

AZ; CA; CT; IL; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; TX; UT; VA; VT; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; SK; Greenland; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

MT; AB; BC

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Unknown in the wild, Papaver somniferum probably came originally from southeastern Europe and/or southwestern Asia. It has been cultivated for centuries as the source of opium (and its modern derivatives heroin, morphine, and codeine), and also for edible seeds and oil. Various color forms with laciniate and/or doubled petals are grown for ornament. Widely introduced from cultivation and also as a crop weed, it should be expected elsewhere in the flora.

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

This well-marked species has its closest relatives within the Papaver alpinum complex in the mountains of central and southern Europe, e.g., P. pyrenaicum (Linnaeus) Willdenow.

The report of 2n = 42, attributed by D. Löve and N. J. Freedman (1956) to A. C. Fabergé (1944), is an error; it is based on material from Pikes Peak, Colorado, where P. pygmaeum has not been found (D. F. Murray 1995).

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

Source

FNA vol. 3.

Parent taxa

Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Papaver

Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Meconella

Sibling taxa

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. rhoeas, 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. radicatum, P. rhoeas, P. somniferum, P. walpolei

Synonyms

P. radicatum var. pygmaeum

Name authority

Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 508. (1753)

Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 29: 159. (1902)

Web links

Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, Go Botany, IL Wildflowers, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database
LBJ Wildflower Center
SEINet
Plants of the World Online
Encyclopedia of Life
Wikipedia
Google Image Search

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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Flora of North America species comparison

Papaver somniferum

Papaver pygmaeum

Papaver somniferum

Papaver pygmaeum