Papaver rhoeas - Common Poppy

Common Poppy is an annual, rarely biennial, erect, 1-3 ft tall herb, branched, bristly or stiffly hairy with 1-3 mm long, spreading whitish hairs, sometimes nearly hairless, rarely hairless. Flowers are very variable in size 4-8 cm in diameter, usually scarlet, violet, pink (rarely whitish), often with a basal dark blotch. Petals are nearly round, 2-4 cm broad. Stamens as long as the ovary, bluish. Flower-cluster-stalks are 15-30 cm long, usually stiffly hairy with spreading bristles. Flower bud are large, ovoid or broadly ellipsoid, 1-2 cm long, stiffly hairy. Leaves are large, up to 15 cm long and 6 cm broad; basal and lower leaves ą stalked, larger, and less dissected; upper leaves stalkless or nearly stalkless, more dissected with narrow bases; all leaves usually 1-2-pinnately divided with narrow pointed, ą toothed, bristle-pointed segments. Capsule are nearly spherical to broadly obovoid, 1-2 cm long, usually slightly longer than broad. Common Poppy is native to Europe, N Africa, West Asia to Western Himalaya. It is a widely cultivated garden plant. Flowering: April-July.