SPECIES DESCRIPTION
PAPAVER RHOEAS
Family and Genus:- See- PAPAVERACEAE/Sect. RHOEADIUM
Common Names:- Common Poppy, Corn Poppy, Corn Rose, Corn-poppy,
Field Poppy, Red Poppy.
Homotypic Synonyms:- Papaver rhoeas var. vulgare
Meaning:- Papaver (L) Poppy.
Rhoeas (Gr) The old generic name of the field poppy.
General description:- Variable medium to tall, rather bristly annual.
Stems:-
1) 20-50 cm tall, very variable in size but usually erect
Leaves:-
1) Pinnatifid to pinnatisect with antrorse lobes, the terminal lobe with rather short
teeth.
Flowers:-
1) Solitary, from 40-100 mm diam.,or occasionally in few-flowered inflorescences on
long.
a) pedicels, setose.
2) Buds, nodding, obovoid, setose.
3) Corolla, with 4 free petals, sometimes with black marks at the base.
4) Petals, 30-50 mm, broadly obovate to suborbicular, overlapping, deep red.
5) Stamens, numerous, free between them,
a) filaments, narrow and reddish.
b) anthers, bluish or purplish
6) Style, with 7-12 stigmas spreading from the centre on a disc.
Fruit:-
1) Capsule, 0·5-1·6 x 0·4-1·4 cm, 1-2 times as long as wide, usually broadly
obovoid, cylindrical or almost globose, sometimes shortly stipitate, usually more
or less abruptly contracted at base.
2) Stigmatic disc, usually wider than the capsule, sometimes slightly umbonate,
with 6-16 rays.
Key features:-
1) Pedicel, setae usually patent, sometimes loosely appressed.
2) Capsules, usually less than twice as long as wide.
3) Stigmatic disc, usually wider than the capsule.
Habitat:- Weed of cereal fields, roadsides and wasteground. 0-800(-1200) m. often
gregarious, occasionally to 1800 m. along mountain tracks.
Distribution:- Widespread and common throughout the Mediterranean region.
Widespread and common on Crete.
Flowering time:- Mid-Apr to mid- June, sometimes later.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
