Papaver rhoeas

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Ordo: Ranunculales

Familia: Papaveraceae
Subfamilia: Papaveroideae
Tribus: Papavereae
Genus: Papaver
Sectio: P. sect. Rhoeadium
Species: Papaver rhoeas
Subspecies: P. r. subsp. polytrichum – P. r. subsp. rhoeas
Name

Papaver rhoeas L., Sp. Pl. 1: 507, 1753.

Papaver rhoeas, Jacob Sturm

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Papaver agrivagum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 464. 1860.
Papaver ameristophyllum Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 308. 1909.
Papaver arvaticum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 463. 1860
Papaver arvense Lam., 1779, nom. illeg.
Papaver atropurpureum Gilib., Fl. Lit. Inch. 2: 214. 1782, nom. inval.
Papaver caespitosum Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 302. 1909.
Papaver caudatifolium Timb.-Lagr., Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Toulouse, 4: 163. 1870.
Papaver cereale Jord., 1860, Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 465. 1860.
Papaver commutatum Fisch., C.A.Mey., & Trautv.
Papaver cruciatum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 465. 1860.
Papaver dodonaei Timb.-Lagr., Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Toulouse 4: 161. 1870.
Papaver erraticum Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl., 2: 705. 1821, nom. illeg.
Papaver erraticum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 464. 1860 nom. illeg. non Gray (1821).
Papaver erucifolium Timb.-Lagr., Rev. Bot. Bull. Mens., 10: 36. 1892.
Papaver fuchsii Timb.-Lagr., Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Toulouse 4: 162. 1870, (fuchsii).
Papaver graecum Link ex Fedde, Pflanzenr. (Engler) Papaverac.-Hypec. & Papav. 299. 1909.
Papaver hirtodubium Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 303. 1909.
Papaver hookeri Baker ex Hook.f., Bot. Mag. (Curtis), : tab. 6729. 1883.
Papaver humile Fedde, Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 169. 1905.
Papaver insignitum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 462. 1860.
Papaver integrifolium Vig., Hist. Nat. Pavots : 38. 1814.
Papaver intermedium Becker, Fl. Frankfurt., 1: 386. 1827.
Papaver postii Fedde, Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 447. 1905.
Papaver pseudohaussknechtii Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 304. 1909.
Papaver ramosissimum Fedde, Pflanzenr. (Engler) Papaverac.-Hypec. & Papav. 363. 1909.
Papaver rapiferum Fedde, Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 170. 1905.
Papaver rhoeas proles caudatifolium (Timb.-Lagr.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 156. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas proles insignitum (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 154. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas proles intermedium (Becker) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 154. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas proles roubiei (Vig.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 156. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas proles rusticum (Jord.) Bonnier
Papaver rhoeas subsp. cyprium Chrtek & B.Slavik, Preslia, 53 (1) : 48. 1981.
Papaver rhoeas subsp. humile Holmboe, Veg. Cyprus : 83. 1914.
Papaver rhoeas subsp. insignitum (Jord.) P.Fourn.
Papaver rhoeas subsp. intermedium (Becker) P.Fourn.
Papaver rhoeas var. agrivagum (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. arvaticum (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. bipinnatifidum N.H.F.Desp., Fl. Sarthe Mayenne : 10. 1838.
Papaver rhoeas var. caudatifolium (Timb.-Lagr.) Fedde
Papaver rhoeas var. conicum Legrand, Stat. Bot. Forez : 71. 1873.
Papaver rhoeas var. cruciatum (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. digitatum Pau
Papaver rhoeas var. erraticum (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. erucifolium (Timb.-Lagr.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 154. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. genuinum Elkan
Papaver rhoeas var.hookeri (Baker ex Hook.f.) Fedde, Natur. Pflanzenf. ed. 2 (Engler & Prantl) 17b: 1–45. 1936.
Papaver rhoeas var. intermedium (Beck) Cout.
Papaver rhoeas var. pallidum Gren. & Godr., Fl. Fr., 1: 58. 1848.
Papaver rhoeas var. segetale (Jord.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. serratifolium Hérib. ex Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. Fr., 1: 155. 1893.
Papaver rhoeas var. setigerum Boenn.
Papaver rhoeas var. subintegrum Lange
Papaver rhoeas var. torilifolium Pau
Papaver rhoeas var. trichocarpum Pamp
Papaver rhoeas var. vestitum Gren. & Godr., Fl. Fr., 1: 58. 1848.
Papaver rhoeas var. violaceum Bréb., Fl. Normandie, éd. 5: 18. 1879.
Papaver rhoeas subsp. caudatifolium, Fl. Compl. Plaine Franç. : 26. 1928.
Papaver rhoeas subsp. insignitum (Jord.) P.Fourn., Fl. Compl. Plaine Franç. : 26. 1928
Papaver rhoeas subsp. intermedium (Becker) P.Fourn., Fl. Compl. Plaine Franç. : 26. 1928.
Papaver robertianella Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 323. 1909.
Papaver roubiaei Vig., Hist. Nat. Pavots : 38. 1814.
Papaver rumelicum Velen., Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss. Prag, Math.- Naturwiss. Kl., 2: 39. 1890.
Papaver rusticum Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 467. 1860.
Papaver segetale Jord., Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, sér. 2, 7: 466. 1860.
Papaver subumbilicatum Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 324. 1909.
Papaver tenuissimum Fedde, Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 5: 446. 1905.
Papaver thaumasiosepalum Fedde, Pflanzenreich (Engler), IV-104, Papaveraceae : 307. 1909.
Papaver tumidulum Klokov, Fl. URSR v. 502. 1953.
Papaver umbrosum hort., Gard. Chron. 2: 16. 1876.
Papaver uniflorum Balb. ex Spenn., Fl. Friburg. 3: 980. 1829.

Hybrids

Papaver × monetii Touss. & Hoschedé
Papaver × propinquum E.G.Camus
Papaver × strigosum (Boenn.) Schur
Papaver × trilobum Wallr.

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Tomus I: 507. Reference page.
Flore Electronique (2000-2009). Association Tela Botanica. Institut de Botanique, Montpellier. 2009 Nov 17 [1].

Vernacular names
aragonés: Ababol
العربية: خشخاش منثور
asturianu: Papuela
azərbaycanca: Yabanı xaşxaş
български: полски мак
བོད་ཡིག: དཔྱིད་མཛེས་མེ་ཏག
brezhoneg: Roz-aer
bosanski: Divlji mak
català: Rosella
corsu: Fiori di spusedda
kaszëbsczi: Pólny mak
čeština: mák vlčí
Cymraeg: Pabi Coch
dansk: Korn-Valmue
Deutsch: Klatschmohn
dolnoserbski: Mack
Ελληνικά: Παπαρούνα
English: Common Poppy
Esperanto: Papaveto
español: Amapola silvestre
eesti: Moon
euskara: Mitxoleta
فارسی: خشخاش زراعی
suomi: Silkkiunikko
Nordfriisk: Moonkoop
français: coquelicot
Gaeilge: Cailleach dhearg
Gàidhlig: Meilbheag
galego: Papoula
hornjoserbsce: wulki mak
Kreyòl ayisyen: Kokliko
magyar: pipacs, vadmák
Ido: Papavero
italiano: Papavero comune
日本語: ヒナゲシ
ಕನ್ನಡ: ಗಸಗಸೆ
한국어: 개양귀비
kurdî: Gulebûk
лакку: ХхунххутӀи
Lëtzebuergesch: Feierblumm
Limburgs: Dónderbloom
lietuvių: Aguona birulė
latviešu: Zīda magone
македонски: Булка
монгол: Намуу цэцэг
Nederlands: Grote Klaproos
norsk: Kornvalmue
polski: mak polny
پنجابی: سرخ پوپی
português do Brasil: Papoila
português: Papoila
Runa Simi: Puka p'akincha
română: Mac de câmp
русский: мак самосейка ,мак дикий
sardu: Papàile
slovenčina: mak vlčí
slovenščina: Poljski mak
shqip: Lulekuqja
српски / srpski: Булка
svenska: Kornvallmo
Tagalog: Amapola
Türkçe: Gelincik
українська: мак дикий
اردو: سرخ پوپی
vèneto: Rosoła
Tiếng Việt: Anh túc đỏ
walon: Fleur di tonire
中文（简体）: 虞美人
中文（繁體）: 虞美人
中文（臺灣）: 虞美人
中文: 虞美人

Papaver rhoeas, with common names including common poppy,[3] corn poppy, corn rose, field poppy,[4] Flanders poppy, and red poppy, is an annual herbaceous species of flowering plant in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It is notable as an agricultural weed (hence the common names including "corn" and "field"). Especially in the Commonwealth, it is used a symbol of remembrance of the fallen soldiers and other military, during World War I and thereafter.

Before the advent of herbicides, Papaver rhoeas was often abundant in agricultural fields, as the plant thrives in areas of disturbed soil. Flushes of poppies may still appear in fields where herbicides are not used, as well as those in fallow. The corn poppy and its cultivars such as the Shirley poppy are widely grown in gardens, and are frequently found in packets of seed labelled "wildflower mixes".

Description
The three stages in a common poppy flower: bud, flower, and capsule

Papaver rhoeas is a variable, erect annual, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring (between May and October in the UK[4]) but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. It grows up to about 70 cm (28 in) in height. The stems hold single flowers,[4][5] which are large and showy, 5–10 cm (2–4 in) across,[6]: 32  with four petals that are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. The petals slightly overlap each other.[4] The plant can produce up to 400 flowers in a warm season, that last only one day.[4] The flower stem is usually covered with coarse hairs that are held at right angles to the surface, helping to distinguish it from Papaver dubium in which the hairs are more usually appressed (i.e. held close to the stem). The capsules are hairless, obovoid (egg-shaped), less than twice as tall as they are wide, with a stigma at least as wide as the capsule. Like many other species of Papaver, the plant exudes white to yellowish latex when the tissues are broken.[7]: 94 

Not all corn poppies that are available commercially have red flowers. Selective breeding has resulted in cultivars in yellow, orange, pink, and white. The Shirley poppy is a well known cultivar. A very pale speckled variety, derived from the Shirley, is also available.

A nearly black-flowering hybrid, known as 'Evelina', was bred in Italy in the late 1990s, with P. dubium, but does not appear to be available commercially.[8]
Phytochemistry

Papaver rhoeas contains the alkaloid called rhoeadine, which is a mild sedative.[9] Rhoeadic acid, papaveric acid and rhoeagenine are also found in this plant.
Taxonomy

It was formally described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in his seminal publication Species Plantarum in 1753.[2][10] Papaver, also pappa, is the Latin word for food or milk and rhoeas means red in Greek.[9]
Distribution and habitat

Papaver rhoeas is a temperate native with a very wide distribution area, from Africa to temperate and tropical Asia and Europe.[9][5][11]
Range

It is found within Africa, in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Madeira Islands, and the Canary Islands.[11] Within temperate Asia, it is found in the Caucasus regions of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ciscaucasia. In Western Asia, it is found in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Within tropical Asia, it is found in Pakistan and India. Within Europe, it is found in Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece,itzerland.html">Switzerland, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, France, Portugal, and Spain.[11]
Habitat

It grows in fields, beside roads, and on grasslands.[4] It is hardy to between USDA Zone 8 and Zone 10, or down to 10 °F (-12 °C).[5]
Natural history
Capsules

Its origin is not known for certain. As with many such plants, the area of origin is often ascribed by Americans to Europe, and by northern Europeans to southern Europe. It is known to have been associated with agriculture in the Old World since early times and has had an old symbolism and association with agricultural fertility. It has most of the characteristics of a successful weed of agriculture. These include an annual lifecycle that fits into that of most cereals, a tolerance of simple weed control methods, the ability to flower and seed itself before the crop is harvested, and the ability to form a long-lived seed bank. The leaves and latex have an acrid taste and are mildly poisonous to grazing animals.[12]

A sterile hybrid with P. dubium is known, P. × hungaricum, that is intermediate in all characteristics with P. rhoeas.[7]

P. rhoeas topped the list in a UK study of meadow pollen production, on a per flower basis, with its rate of 13.3 ± 2.8 μl. The California poppy placed second with a rate of 8.3 ± 1.1 μl. The pollen production of P.rhoeas, on a per flower basis, was very high in comparison with the other plants tested, at almost triple the amount of the top-ranked perennial (a mallow). When sampled at the level of the entire capitulum, however, it was outranked by the ox-eye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare, with its 15.9 ± 2 μl measurement. It tied with Cosmos bipinnatus. Neither poppy produced a significant quantity of nectar, making their role in meadow ecology specific to pollen-gathering/consuming insects.[13] As poppies are not wind-pollinated, their pollen poses no allergy risk via inhalation.
Cultural usage
See also: Remembrance poppy

Due to the extent of ground disturbance in warfare during World War I, corn poppies bloomed between the trench lines and no man's lands on the Western front. Poppies are a prominent feature of "In Flanders Fields" by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, one of the most frequently quoted English-language poems composed during the First World War. During the 20th century, the wearing of a poppy at and before Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day) each year became an established custom in English-speaking western countries.[4] It is also used at some other dates in some countries, such as at appeals for Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand.

This poppy appears on a number of postage stamps, coins, banknotes, and national flags, including:

Two hundred lei (Romanian banknote)
Canadian twenty-dollar note (2012) and Canadian ten-dollar note (2001)
Some commemorative Canadian twenty-five cent coins in 2004 and 2008
Great Britain commemorative stamps 2000-2009: 2007 Lest we forget - 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme

The common or corn poppy was voted the county flower of Essex and Norfolk in 2002 following a poll by the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife.[14]

United States commemorative stamp depicting Moina Michael and corn poppies

Claude Monet, "Summer Field of Coquelicots", 1875

An example of the artificial Flanders poppy which has been distributed by the millions throughout New Zealand by the RSA for Anzac Day activities and other days of remembrance.

China

In China, P. rhoeas is known as yumeiren (虞美人, meaning "Yu the Beauty"), after Consort Yu, the concubine of the warlord Xiang Yu. In 202 BC, when they were besieged in the Battle of Gaixia by the force of Liu Bang (founder of the Han Dynasty), Consort Yu committed suicide; according to folklore, poppies grew out of the ground where Consort Yu fell, and P. rhoeas thus became a symbol of loyalty unto death.[15]

In 2010, P. rhoeas was at the centre of a diplomatic controversy between China and the United Kingdom; during an official visit to China, British Prime Minister David Cameron and his entourage rejected a demand from China to not wear the remembrance poppy, which the Chinese government had mistaken for the opium poppy, a plant that carries connotations of the Opium Wars in China.[16]
Persian literature


In Persian literature, red poppies, especially red corn poppy flowers, are considered the flower of love. They are often called the eternal lover flower. In classic and modern Persian poems, the poppy is a symbol of people who died for love (Persian: راه عشق).

Many poems interchange "poppy" and "tulip" (Persian: لاله).

[I] was asking the wind in the field of tulips during the sunrise: whose martyrs are these bloody shrouded?

[The wind] replied: Hafez, you and I are not capable of this secret, sing about red wine and sweet lips.

Urdu literature


In Urdu literature, red poppies, or "Gul-e-Lalah", are often a symbol of martyrdom, and sometimes of love.
Uses

The commonly grown garden decorative Shirley poppy is a cultivar of this plant.[4]

The black seeds are edible, and can be eaten either on their own or as an ingredient in bread. Oil made from the seed is highly regarded in France.[9]

The petals contain a red dye which is used in some medicines and wines; also the dried petals are occasionally used to give colour to potpourris.[9]

In traditional folk medicine, it was used for gout, aches, and pains. The petals were used to create a syrup that was fed to children to help them sleep.[4]
See also

Poppy
Coquelicot
Remembrance Day
The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino
Corn poppy with lamb
White poppy (symbol)
From Up on Poppy Hill

References

Linné, Carl von (1753). Species Plantarum. Vol. 1. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius. p. 507.
"Papaver rhoeas L. is an accepted name". 23 March 2012. theplantlist.org. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
Reader's Digest Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain. Reader's Digest. 1981. p. 30. ISBN 9780276002175.
Philips, Roger; Rix, Brian (1996). Perfect Plants. London: Macmillan. p. 298. ISBN 0333653416.
Blamey, M.; Fitter, R.; Fitter, A (2003). Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora. London: A & C Black. ISBN 978-1408179505.
Stace, C. A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth ed.). Middlewood Green, Suffolk, U.K.: C & M Floristics. ISBN 978-1-5272-2630-2.
Sagrati, Giorgio (2012). "Evelina, the black poppy". The black poppy Evelina. WordPress. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
"Papaver rhoeas (common poppy)". kew.org. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
"Papaveraceae Papaver rhoeas L." ipni.org. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
"Taxon: Papaver rhoeas L." npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. 14 November 2001. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
"corn poppy (Common name)". cbif.gc.ca. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
Hicks, DM; Ouvrard, P; Baldock, KCR (2016). "Food for Pollinators: Quantifying the Nectar and Pollen Resources of Urban Flower Meadows". PLOS ONE. 11 (6): e0158117. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1158117H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158117. PMC 4920406. PMID 27341588.
"County Flowers | Wild plants". Plantlife. Archived from the original on 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
"The Falangcai Poppy Bowl". Alain.R.Truong. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
Evans, Annnemarie (15 November 2010). "Flanders poppy 'a symbol of heroism, not of opium'". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 November 2018.