Papaver somniferum
species of plant
Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamental plant grown in gardens. Its native range is the western Mediterranean region, but has since been obscured by widespread introduction and cultivation since ancient times to the present day. It is now naturalised across much of the world with temperate climates.
Description
Papaver somniferum is an annual herb growing to about 100 centimetres (40 inches) tall. The plant is strongly glaucous, giving a greyish-green appearance, and the stem and leaves bear a sparse distribution of coarse hairs. The large leaves are lobed, the upper stem leaves clasping the stem, the lowest leaves with a short petiole. The flowers are up to 8–18 cm (3–7 in) diameter, normally with four red, white, or mauve petals, often with a dark patch at the base of each petal. The fruit is a hairless, rounded capsule topped with 12–18 radiating stigmatic rays, or fluted cap. All parts of the plant exude white latex when wounded.
“Papaver somniferum” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Papaver, somniferum and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Papaver somniferum” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Papaver, somniferum and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q131584. The Library of Congress control number is sh85095097. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Papaver somniferum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.