Opium poppy
Opium poppy, Papaver somniferum var. album, is a species of plant. Opium and poppy seeds come from poppies. A great number of opiates, such as morphine, heroin, and codeine, are made from opium. The Latin name for the opium poppy means "sleep-bringing poppy, white form," probably because some of these opiates make people feel sleepy.
| Opium poppy | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | Ranunculales
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| Family: | Papaveraceae
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| Genus: | Papaver
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| Binomial name | |
| Papaver somniferum Carolus Linnaeus
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The poppy is the only species of Papaveraceae to be grown as an agricultural crop. Other species, such as Papaver rhoeas and Papaver argemone, are important agricultural weeds. They may be wrongly thought of as the crop.
The plant itself is also used as a decoration. Known as the "common garden poppy," it is widely grown as an ornamental flower in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
Food
Poppy seeds of Papaver somniferum are used as food in many cultures. They may be used whole by bakers to decorate their products or milled and mixed with sugar as a sweet filling. They have a creamy and nut-like flavor. Seeds of papver somniferum are also used to make poppyseed oil. The seeds have very little opiates. The oil that comes from them has even less.[1]
Opium Poppy Media
Opium poppy fields near Metheringham, Lincolnshire, England. Also visible in the field are red field poppies, another related species of poppy which often grows alongside P. somniferum as a weed
Dried blue, grey and white poppy seeds used for pastries in Germany
Dried poppy seed pods and stems (plate), and seeds (bowl)
References
- ↑ "Erowid Poppy Vault : Legal Status". erowid.org. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
Other websites
Media related to Opium poppy at Wikimedia Commons