#papaver

"sleep-bringing poppy".

AKA breadseed poppy. It also has 76 synonyms for its subspecies and hybrids.

The only really interesting plant growing in the garden at Oamaru. Originally found in the Western Med, probably, but so widely cultivated even in ancient times that it's now found in most temperate areas worldwide.

The petals are more usually red, but sometime white, and are admired for their ornamental qualities, but it's the white latex that exudes from any part of the plant if damaged that makes the species most valuable - it's the source of opium and all the drugs derived from that. It's been used medically since well before the invention of writing. Opium poppies appear on the coat of arms of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

These days, most of the world's supply of opium poppies come from Tasmania (and led to stoned wallabies making crop circles in the fields), but the restrictions on growing the poppy in other countries vary hugely - not least because the seeds are widely used in baking, and pressed for an edible oil.

Plant of the Day

Thursday 11 June 2026

Cedric Morris was an artist and plantsman who collected variations of annual poppies he noticed in local arable fields. This plant continues as seed sold as Papaver rhoeas 'Cedric Morris' (poppy, corn poppy). The flowers come in dusky shades of silvery pink, lavender, mauve and white. Plants thrive in any well-drained fertile soil in full sun.