Health is the Flora of Today: Poppies

 

Poppies 

A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae

Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers

One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the source of the narcotic drug mixture opium, which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as an analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drug

Following the trench warfare in the poppy fields of Flanders, Belgium, during World War I, poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime, especially in the Canada and other Commonwealth realms

Poppies are annual, biennial or short-lived perennial plants

Some species are monocarpic, dying after flowering

Poppies can be over a metre tall with flowers up to 15 centimetres across

Flowers of species have 4 or 6 petals, many stamens forming a conspicuous whorl in the center

The petals are showy, may be of almost any colour

The petals are crumpled in the bud and as blooming finishes, the petals often lie flat before falling away

In the temperate zones, poppies bloom from spring into early summer

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death

On a warm day when the seeds are ripe the poppy pods will pop open dispersing the seeds all around