Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Red Poppy

Papaver rhoeas

Description:

A species of flowering plant in the poppy family, Papaveraceae. This poppy, a native of Europe, is notable as an agricultural weed (hence the "corn" and "field") and as a symbol of fallen soldiers. P. rhoeas sometimes is so abundant in agricultural fields that it may be mistaken for a crop. The only species of Papaveraceae grown as a field crop on a large scale is Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. The plant is a variable annual, forming a long-lived soil seed bank that can germinate when the soil is disturbed. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. The flower is large and showy, with four petals that are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. Like many other species of Papaver, it exudes a white latex when the tissues are broken.

Habitat:

Mediterranean Shrubland

Notes:

You can find these peppered all over. The leaves and latex have an acrid taste and are mildly poisonous to grazing animals.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

No Comments

BennyV_
Spotted by
BennyV_

Monda, Andalucía, Spain

Spotted on May 10, 2010
Submitted on May 10, 2010

Spotted for Mission

Related Spottings

Papaver Corn Poppy Papaver somniferum Papaver

Nearby Spottings

Purple Flower (Specific Species Unknown) Bulbous Crane's-Bill feeding a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Teasel Grasshopper
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team