Oriental poppy
Encyclopedia
Papaver orientale (Oriental poppy
) is a perennial
flowering plant
native to the Caucasus
, northeastern Turkey
, and northern Iran
, not the Orient
as the name implies.
Oriental poppies throw up a mound of finely cut, hairy foliage in spring. After flowering the foliage dies away entirely, a property that allows their survival in the summer drought of Central Asia
. Late-developing plants can be placed nearby to fill the developing gap. Fresh leaves appear with autumn rains.
of 3-8 average. It usually thrives in light calcareous
soil and in full sun or part shade. Seeds are sown after the potential of frost has past, the average temperature is approximately 21 °C
and when soil has thoroughly warmed. The seeds are sown at a depth of about one centimeter, or less as light may stimulate germination. Oriental Poppies do not handle transplanting or over-watering well. Germination period is 10–20 days. Mulch can be used to protect the plant over the winter and cutting off the stem will produce a second flower.
Cultivars can be grouped by colour: Red and Orange, White, Pink to Salmon and Multicoloured. These include;
Mahogany-red Indian Chief
Orange - Olympia
, which can be grown for their use in the commercial extraction of thebaine
, a main source for the legal synthesis of opiates. This species, however, does not produce any narcotic
alkaloids such as morphine
or codeine
. Many garden Oriental poppies are actually hybrids with (Papaver bracteatum
) and Papaver pseudo-orientale.
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
) is a perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
native to the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, northeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and northern Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, not the Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
as the name implies.
Oriental poppies throw up a mound of finely cut, hairy foliage in spring. After flowering the foliage dies away entirely, a property that allows their survival in the summer drought of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. Late-developing plants can be placed nearby to fill the developing gap. Fresh leaves appear with autumn rains.
Cultivation
Papaver orientale has a hardiness zoneHardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...
of 3-8 average. It usually thrives in light calcareous
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
soil and in full sun or part shade. Seeds are sown after the potential of frost has past, the average temperature is approximately 21 °C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
and when soil has thoroughly warmed. The seeds are sown at a depth of about one centimeter, or less as light may stimulate germination. Oriental Poppies do not handle transplanting or over-watering well. Germination period is 10–20 days. Mulch can be used to protect the plant over the winter and cutting off the stem will produce a second flower.
Cultivars
Aside from its natural brilliant orange-scarlet, since the later 19th century selective breeding for gardens has created a range of colors from clean white with eggplant-black blotches (Barr's White is the standard against which other whites are measured), through clear true pinks and salmon pinks to deep maroons and plum. In addition petals may be creased or fringed, such as Türkenlouis.Cultivars can be grouped by colour: Red and Orange, White, Pink to Salmon and Multicoloured. These include;
Red and orange varieties
Red - Beauty of Livermere, Brilliant, Türkenlouis, Olympia, G.I. Joe (double)Mahogany-red Indian Chief
Orange - Olympia
White
Black and White, Maiden's Blush, Perry's White, Barr's White, Royal WeddingPink to salmon
Papillon (pink), Watermelon, Helen Elizabeth, Victoria Louise, Mrs. Perry, Cedric Morris (salmon pink), Patty's PlumMulticoloured
Carousel (white with orange petal edges), Carnival (frilled white petals with orange-red accents), Pinnacle(white and scarlet-red petals), Picotee (creased white petals with frilly orange edges), Fatima (white petals edged in pink)Related species
Oriental Poppies are closely related to the Great Scarlet Poppy Papaver bracteatumPapaver bracteatum
Papaver bracteatum, also known as the Iranian poppy, is a sturdy perennial poppy with large deep red flowers up to 8 inches across on stiff stalks up to 4 feet high with a prominent black spot near the base of the petals...
, which can be grown for their use in the commercial extraction of thebaine
Thebaine
Thebaine , its name coming from the Greek Θῆβαι, Thēbai, an ancient city in Upper Egypt, is an opiate alkaloid. A minor constituent of opium, thebaine is chemically similar to both morphine and codeine, but has stimulatory rather than depressant effects, causing convulsions similar to strychnine...
, a main source for the legal synthesis of opiates. This species, however, does not produce any narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
alkaloids such as morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
or codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
. Many garden Oriental poppies are actually hybrids with (Papaver bracteatum
Papaver bracteatum
Papaver bracteatum, also known as the Iranian poppy, is a sturdy perennial poppy with large deep red flowers up to 8 inches across on stiff stalks up to 4 feet high with a prominent black spot near the base of the petals...
) and Papaver pseudo-orientale.