Flora of North America species comparison

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Papaver somniferum

Papaver sect. Papaver

common garden poppy, common poppy, opium poppy, pavot (commun)
Habit Plants to 15 dm, glabrate, glaucous. Plants annual, caulescent.
Stems

simple or branching.

Leaves

to 30 cm;

blade sometimes sparsely setose abaxially on midrib;

margins usually shallowly to deeply toothed.

blades unlobed or 1x-lobed, distal clasping stem.
Inflorescences

peduncle often sparsely setose.

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.

filaments white, clavate.
Capsules

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

poricidal, glabrous.

Papaver somniferum

Papaver sect. Papaver
Phenology Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Fields, clearings, stream banks, railroads, roadsides, and other disturbed sites
Elevation 0-1300 m (0-4300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
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.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3, p. 332.
Parent taxa Papaveraceae > Papaver > sect. Papaver Papaveraceae > Papaver
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
Subordinate taxa
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 508. (1753) Linnaeus
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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