Papaver hybridum L.

Papaver species are erect, annual, biennial or perennial herbs, with milky white, yellowish or orange fluid. Stem simple bristly or rarely glabrous. Leaves mostly pinnatipartite, pinnatifid, pinnatilobed, basal leaves petioled, cauline ones sessile, margin incised, dentate or serrate rarely entire, bristly or glabrous. Inflorescence panicle, raceme, adpressed setose. Flowers bisexual, solitary on long pedicels or on scapose stems, ebracteate, buds subglobose to ovoid, Sepals 2 rarely 3, free, deciduous, ovate-orbicular, early caducous, petals 4 sometimes 6, obovate, slightly clawed or not, red, orange, yellow, white or purplish. Stamens numerous, filaments filiform or dilated, anthers linear or oblong. Ovary ovoid, unilocular, superior, glabrous or setose, ovules numerous, stigmas 4-20, on disc crenate margin to deeply dissected, stigmatic rays opposite to placentas. Fruits capsules, globular, cylindric to subcylindric, ellipsoid-obovoid, dehiscing by subapical pores or persistent disc. Seeds many, bean shaped, reticulate-alveolate, reniform, black, brown, gray or white, albumin fleshy, rich in oil.

Papaver species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: March-June/May-September.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., dispersal by wind, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual erect herbs, with milky latex, about 10-40 cm tall. Stem simple or sparsely branched, short appressed or subappressed stiff, sparsely hirsute hairs about 1-2 mm long. Leaves 2-3 pinnatisect, pinnatifid, about 3-15 x 1.5-4 cm across in outline, profuse, slightly hispid, segments linear or oblong, terminal segments broader, margins revolute, apex obtuse to acute, with a bristly tip, Basal radical leaves arranged in a loose rosette, petiole slender, sparsely hirsute, about 3-20 cm long, upper cauline leaves alternate, pinnatisect to pinnatifid, segments or lobes linear-lanceolate, gradually becoming smaller sessile towards the shoot. Inflorescence raceme with about 2-5 flowers, peduncles erect or slightly curved, sparsely appressed hirsute, peduncles 3-15 cm long. Flowers bisexual, axillary or terminal, about 2-5 cm across, scarlet red, maroon, with violet or black spots, flower buds, broadly ellipsoid, densely bristly, about 5-12 x 5-10 mm across, Sepals 2, free, deciduous, ovate-orbicular, early caducous, bristly, petals 4, obovate, overlapping and crumbled in bud, carlet red, maroon, with violet or black spots, about 1-1.3 x 1.2-1.5 cm across. Stamens numerous as long as the ovary, filaments dilated, slender gradually thickening upwards, anthers elliptic-oval, bluish, about 1 mm long. Ovary ovoid, unilocular, superior, bristly, about 10 mm long, ovules numerous, stigmatic discs short. Fruits capsules, oblong-globular, bristly with 1.5-3 mm long bristles, about 8-16 x 5-10 mm across, dehiscing by 4-9 stigmatic rays. Seeds many, bean shaped, reniform, brownish gray or black, about 0.7 mm across.

Papaver species are susceptible to insect pests, moulds and rusts.

Subtropical to temperate forests, altitude 2000-3000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in folk medicine.