4. Papaver L. (poppy)
(Kiger, 1975, 1997)
Plants annual
(perennial herbs elsewhere), with taproots; sap white, orange, or red. Aerial
stems loosely to strongly ascending (absent elsewhere), glabrous or hairy,
sometimes glaucous. Leaves basal and alternate on the stems, the basal leaves
short- to long-petiolate (sessile in P. somniferum), the stem leaves
mostly short-petiolate to sessile. Leaf blades pinnately lobed (often merely
coarsely toothed in P. somniferum), the lobes toothed to dissected,
variously shaped, the surfaces glabrous or hairy, sometimes glaucous. Flowers
solitary, terminal on the stem or branches, long-stalked, the stalk erect or
nodding in bud, erect or ascending at flowering, lacking bracts, the receptacle
slightly expanded at the tip but not forming a cup or disc. Sepals 2, free,
shed individually as the flower opens, 10–35 mm long, broadly elliptic-ovate
and deeply concave (cupped around the flower), broadly pointed at the tip.
Petals 4, broadly obovate, broadly rounded and often somewhat uneven or
slightly ruffled at the tip, pink, red, or purple, occasionally white, pale
lavender blue, or orange, often with a pronounced dark or light spot at the
base. Stamens numerous. Ovary lacking a well-differentiated style at flowering,
the stigma forming a stout, sessile, crownlike or disclike, 5–18-lobed
structure, this especially evident at fruiting. Fruits erect or ascending,
narrowly to broadly obovoid to nearly globose, more or less truncate to
slightly convex at the tip, crowned by the persistent stigmatic stucture,
glabrous or hairy, sometimes longitudinally ribbed, dehiscing by pores near the
tip. Seeds 0.4–0.7 mm long, kidney-shaped, lacking an aril, the surface with a
network of ridges and pits, dark brown to black, shiny. Seventy to 100 species,
North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia.
A number of
poppy species are cultivated as bedding plants in gardens or as components of
wildflower meadows or highway median plantings. In addition to the three
species that escape from cultivation in Missouri that are treated below, three
other species might in the future become established in the state. Papaver
atlanticum (Ball) Coss. (Moroccan poppy) is similar to P. dubium,
but differs in its perennial habit, yellow (vs. dark purple to black) anthers,
and strongly ribbed fruits. Papaver glaucum Boiss. & Hausskn. (tulip
poppy) is similar to P. somniferum, but differs in its smaller buds (1–2
vs. 2–4 cm long), and smaller fruits (1.5–2.0 cm long at maturity). Papaver
orientale L. (Oriental poppy) is similar to P. rhoeas, but differs
in its perennial habit, bigger buds (2.0–3.5 vs. 0.5–2.0 cm long), and bigger
petals (4–8 cm long).