POPPY, a popular name for several plants of the family Papaveracecr; for instance, Cali fornia poppy (Eschscholzia californica). horned poppy (Glaucium), Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica), prickly poppy (Argemone spp.), celandine poppy (Stylopkorum dipkyllum), tulip poppy (Hunnemania fumarsiefolia) and various species of genus Popover. Unless mod fied by some adjective as above the term usually refers to members of the last-named genus.
The 50 species of Papaver are annual and perennial herbs, mostly indigenous to the Medi terranean region. One is South African, one Australian and a few North American. They are smooth or bristly; have a milky juice; usu ally dissected or lobed leaves on long peduncles; showy flowers of very varied tints and forms, and capsules containing very numerous small seeds. For several centuries some of the species have been leading garden flowers, not only because of their color and form, but be cause of their ease of cultivation. The seed should be sown very early in the spring where the plants are to remain. Any good, well drained garden soil will do, but it should be finely broken up and the seed covered very thinly. The seedlings should not stand closer together than six inches for the weak growing kinds and 12 inches for the strong. The re moval of the pods as soon as the flowers fade will prolong the blossoming season. If allowed to ripen the seqd will stock the garden as weeds. Such plants blossom about two weeks earlier than spring-sown ones. The perennial species should be replaced by new plants each second year, since in cold parts of the country they are likely to winter-kill when old.
The most cultivated species are the opium poppy (see below) and the corn poppy (P. Amos), a European annual with rather small flowers and finely cut foliage.
The Oriental poppy (P. orientale). a native of southwestern Asia, is a perennial with large flowers. The Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule), an Arctic species, is a remarkably beautiful per ennial, which is usually grown as an annual; it is perhaps the best soecies for cutting as a bouquet flower. Other species are popular with fanciers, but have not gained prominent places in general esteem.
As a garden plant the opium poppy (P. somniterum), an annual, is the most famous since it has probably the widest range of color and form.. It is, however, noted as the source of poppy-seed oil and opium (q.v.). The seeds, which contain no opium, are rich in a bland, fixed oil (about 40 per cent), which is expressed for culinary uses, and to a small extent for painting and soap-making. The growing of the plants for this purpose has been an important industry in the Old World for centuries. In mild climates the land is made very fine by plowing and harrowing in the autumn when the seed is sown; in colder regions the seed is either scattered on the snow or sown in early spring, the land being prepared previously. Drilling and broadcasting are both popular. Shelter from wind is advisable to prevent scat tering of the seed.