Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) in the Poppies Database

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb
Life cycle:	Annual
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun
Water Preferences:	Mesic
Plant Height:	3 feet
Flowers:	Showy
Flower Color:	Orange Pink Red Yellow
Bloom Size:	1"-2"
Flower Time:	Summer
Underground structures:	Taproot
Uses:	Culinary Herb Cut Flower
Edible Parts:	Seeds or Nuts
Eating Methods:	Raw Cooked
Resistances:	Birds Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant Squirrels
Propagation: Seeds:	Self fertile Other info: Self seeds
Pollinators:	Self Bees
Miscellaneous:	Tolerates poor soil

Common names

Opium Poppy
Breadseed Poppy
Peony-Flowered Poppy
Feathered Poppy
Poppy

Botanical names

Accepted: Papaver somniferum
Synonym: Papaver somniferum var. paeoniflorum
Synonym: Papaver somniferum subsp. setigerum
Synonym: Papaver paeoniflorum

Also sold as:

Papaver paeoniiflorum

Photo Gallery

Uploaded by ge1836

Uploaded by GrammaChar

Location: In my Northern California garden
Date: 2015-04-13

Uploaded by zuzu

Location: In my Northern California garden
Date: 2009-05-21

Uploaded by zuzu

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2019-06-29
- A tangle of stamens for the Bee to circumnavigate. #pollination

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: My garden, KY
Date: 2022-05-18

Uploaded by poisondartfrog

Location: Richmond
Date: 2015-06-13
Papaver somniferum (var. paeoniflorum)

Uploaded by kylaluaz

Location: Mentor on the Lake, Ohio
Date: 2018-06-25
Winter sown

Uploaded by Samlav

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-07-10
- Intricate inner petals.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2015-06-24
- The fuzzy, fluffy look.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Antonio, Texas
Date: 2022-04-04

Uploaded by sedumzz

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2017-06-14

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2016-05-06
Underside of the bloom

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-09-20
4:02 pm. A colour to cherish.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2012-0702

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by MrGrimGarden

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2017-06-25
This poppy is called Feathered Scarlet.

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2016-06-25

Uploaded by treehugger

Location: In Lethy's garden in Oklahoma City, OK
Date: 2021-05-17

Uploaded by jathton

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2016-06-21
Opium Poppy - Pure and Simple.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: roberta ga
Date: 5-3-2018
mixed colours

Uploaded by stone

Uploaded by molanic

Location: Vladivostok, Primorsky Kraj, Russia
Date: 2006-08-03
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Uploaded by Nick_Kurzenko

Location: My garden Bullard Texas
Date: 2018-04-06

Uploaded by Maxmom98

Uploaded by 4susiesjoy

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-13

Uploaded by chelle

Location: In Lethy's garden in Oklahoma City, OK
Date: 2021-05-17
Papaver orientale 'Helen Elizabeth'

Uploaded by jathton

Uploaded by LindaTX8

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2012-0619

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2012-0610

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Warren, Vermont
Date: 2016-07-26

Uploaded by PoppyLady420

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar BC
Date: 2015-06-20
10:33 am. So many variations in this kind of poppy.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar BC
Date: 2015-06-20
10:33 am. I love the gentle colour of this one.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: At a nursery
Date: Jun 9, 2009 11:24 AM

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: My garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 2014-06-08

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: My garden, Gent, Belgium
Date: 2014-06-09

Uploaded by bonitin

Location: in a neighbor's garden
Date: 05-14-2020

Uploaded by jathton

Location: Sun zone 6
Date: 2010-07-04
Self sowing and very prolific. I just weded out when too crowded.

Uploaded by ge1836

Uploaded by MrGrimGarden

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: Mid Summer

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by jathton

Uploaded by Joy

Location: garden of botanist Robert R. Kowal in Madison, Wisconsin
Date: June 25, 2012
photo by James Steakley

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: In Zuzu's garden
Date: 2012-05-12

Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Location: Arvada, Colorado zone 5
Date: juky 2009

Uploaded by tabby

Uploaded by DomehomeDee

Location: Nora's Garden - Castlegar, B.C.
Date: 2014-07-15
The inner core.

Uploaded by HemNorth

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2015-0618

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by SCButtercup

Uploaded by SCButtercup

Uploaded by molanic

Location: My garden in N E Pa.
Date: 2017-06-18
Various colors and forms.

Uploaded by treehugger

Uploaded by 4susiesjoy

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by chelle

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-07-02

Uploaded by chelle

Uploaded by jathton

Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.

Uploaded by Joy

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2012-0619
Growing with Japanese irises and astilbe

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2012-0609

Uploaded by pirl

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2009-06-13

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Date: 2013-07-28

Uploaded by MrsBinWY

Uploaded by molanic

Uploaded by molanic

Uploaded by molanic

Uploaded by jathton

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 2020-07-01
Pink Breadseed poppy, Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Uploaded by dnrevel

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-05-07

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Northeastern Indiana - Zone 5b
Date: 2011-04-03
Wintersown seedlings.

Uploaded by chelle

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-06-05

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Date: 3-18-2021
Winter Sown poppies germinating, 2021

Uploaded by dnrevel

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2014-0616
First poppy flower of the year opened. Allium azureum in the fore

Uploaded by pirl

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-11-02

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-08-01

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-05-15

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-28
Semi-double form

Uploaded by chelle

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2017-05-18

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2007
poppies blowing in the wind

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Old pine stump garden
Date: 2015-10-23
Garden view.

Uploaded by pirl

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by piksihk

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-05-15

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: In my garden in Kalama, Wa.
Date: 2009-08-25

Uploaded by Joy

Uploaded by Joy

Location: central Illinois
Date: 3-16-12

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2012-05-06

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2013-10-05

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by robertduval14

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 2015-06-20

Uploaded by admin

Location: CZ Sirem My garden
Date: 4000-06-24

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by admin

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by jathton (Oklahoma City, OK - Zone 7a) on May 17, 2021 5:32 PM concerning plant:

How to completely surprise yourself in your own garden:
... First, get old
... Then, Go out to the garden some fine fall day and sow some flower seeds
... Go back inside and wait until spring.
... Go out to the garden some fine spring day and stand in stupefied amazement as you gaze on flowers emerging from the earth that you absolutely KNOW you did not plant
... At this point you might say something like, "Good Lord!!!"... or possibly, "Where in the world did those come from?"... or you might be feeling your oats and be inclined to say, "Look what I have wrought!!!!"
... If you choose declaration number three I'll suggest you also read the poem 'Ozymandias' by Shelley.

Any way you choose, however, there is no denying these Poppies make a striking statement.

Reply to this comment
Posted by robertduval14 (Milford, New Hampshire - Zone 5b) on Sep 19, 2016 10:16 PM concerning plant:

National flower of the Republic of Macedonia.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
dragonfetti	On January 20, 2015	Obtained plant From One Stop Poppy Shoppe
lovesblooms	On March 18, 2016	Seeds germinated
lovesblooms	On March 7, 2016	Seeds sown winter sown
piksihk	On April 1, 2017	Bloomed Self down seeds in veggie bed
Samlav	On March 18, 2018	Seeds germinated Winter sown January 10 in milk jug. Obtained seeds in seed swap purchase from Chiltern seeds. Seedlings have emerged.
MrsBinWY	On January 28, 2019	Seeds germinated activity in all 4 pots
MrsBinWY	On January 19, 2019	Seeds sown commercial seeds from poisondartfrog, 4 pots w/6 seeds each in cold sun room
dnrevel	On March 15, 2021	Seeds germinated See photo. Germinated in March!
dnrevel	On January 13, 2021	Seeds sown Winter Sown. Peony poppy, double blend from Botanical Interests.
pinetastic	On June 10, 2023	Seeds sown

» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant

Thread Title	Last Reply	Replies
Wrong species by Danita	May 27, 2021 10:09 AM	7
Wrong species by Danita	May 18, 2021 4:55 PM	1

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Poppies Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Poppies

Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)