Seasonal Wild Flowers

Common Poppy

Latin name

Papaver rhoeas

Family

Papaveraceae

Flowering season

June to October

English distribution

It is found throughout the country, except for parts of the

far Northwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Common Poppy

Habitat

It is an archaeophyte.

It grows in arable fields, field margins, waste land and

open ground.

Description

Common Poppy is an annual herb, growing up to 1m.

The flowers are up to 10cm across with 4 bright scarlet

petals.

The petals usually have a dark blotch at the base (those

shown here were taken from a field of rape close to

Dorchester and included flowers both with and without

dark markings).

The numerous stamens have anthers with a blueish

tinge.

The capsules are up to 1cm across with a flattish top with

8 to 12 stigma rays.

Leaves are green, stiffly hairy and variably pinnately lobed

and toothed.

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Common Poppy in a field of Rape,

Dorchester

Flowers en masse

Poppies dominating the Oil-seed

Rape crop

Flowers with black base to petals

Flowers without black markings

Seed capsules

Capsule showing stigma rays

Leaves

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