Opium poppy - Revision history

Potassium: Redirected page to Papaver somniferum

2010-02-01T06:33:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:33, 1 February 2010
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	~~__NOTOC__{{Plantbox~~		#Redirect [[Papaver somniferum]]
	~~\| name = ''~~Papaver somniferum''
	~~\| common_names = Opium Poppy~~
	~~\| growth_habit = ? <!--- tree, shrub, herbaceous, vine, etc -->~~
	~~\| high = ? <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->~~
	~~\| wide = <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->~~
	~~\| origin = ? <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->~~
	~~\| poisonous = <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->~~
	~~\| lifespan = <!--- perennial, annual, etc -->~~
	~~\| exposure = ? <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->~~
	~~\| water = ? <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->~~
	~~\| features = <!--- flowers, fragrance, fruit, naturalizes, invasive -->~~
	~~\| hardiness = <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->~~
	~~\| bloom = <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->~~
	~~\| usda_zones = ? <!--- eg. 8-11 -->~~
	~~\| sunset_zones = <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->~~
	~~\| color = IndianRed~~
	~~\| image = Koeh-102.jpg~~
	~~\| image_width = 180px <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->~~
	~~\| image_caption = <!--- eg. Cultivated freesias -->~~
	~~\| regnum = Plantae~~
	~~\| divisio = Magnoliophyta~~
	~~\| classis = Magnoliopsida~~
	~~\| ordo = Ranunculales~~
	~~\| familia = Papaveraceae~~
	~~\| genus = Papaver~~
	~~\| species = somniferum~~
	}}
	~~{{Inc\|~~
	Papaver somniferum, Linn. (P. opilferum, Forsk. P. nigrum, Crantz). Opium Poppy. Fig. 2751. Robust, glaucous and glabrous annual, 3-4 ft. high, with fls. 4-5 in. across, much larger than those of any annual kind: lvs. oblong, unequally toothed at the base; st.-lvs. cordate at the base, sinuate-repand to dentate-serrate, very glaucous, clasping: fl.-bud ovoid-oblong, somewhat obtuse at apex, glabrous; petals orbiculate, entire, undulate or cut, from white through pink and red to purple, but not yellow or blue : caps, globose, glabrous, with a flat 8-12-lobed disk. Greece, Orient.— Sparingly run wild in N. Amer. Very variable in color of seeds, characters of caps., and form and color of petals. Var. album, DC. (P. officinale, Gmel.), has fls. and seeds white: caps, ovate-globose.

	Among the double horticultural forms of P. somniferum are two main strains or types, the carnation-fld. and the peony-fld. (the latter P. paeoniaeflorum, Hort.). The former has fringed petals; the latter not. Both include a wide range of color, and even a yellow form has been advertised, but this form is of doubtful authenticity. P. Mursellii is another strain of double fringed kinds, of which Mikado is a favorite. P. fim- briatum is another trade name for double fringed varieties. P. cardinale is the French name of another strain of double fringed fls. Chinese poppies are a double-fld. race intro. from Chinese gardens early in 1890, and comprising dwarfer strains than previously known. R.H. 1893, p. 349. An exceptionally interesting monstrosity has occurred in which there are no petals, and the stamens are supposed to be transformed into pistils which actually ripen seed. It was figured as long ago as 1851 in F.S. 6, p. 242, and again in R.H. 1893, p. 349. It seems to be no longer advertised, but it was considered to be constant.

	Among the single varieties, Danebrog is one of the most striking and popular. The white spots at the base of the petals form a cross. This variety is also known as Danish Cross, Danish Flag and Victorian Cross. Of the pure white kinds, Flag of Truce and The Bride are favorites. Mephisto is scarlet, spotted black. About a dozen other varieties are advertised by name.
	~~{{SCH}}~~
	}}

	~~==Cultivation==~~
	~~{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->~~

	~~===Propagation===~~
	~~{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->~~

	~~===Pests and diseases===~~
	~~{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->~~

	~~==Species==~~
	~~<!-- This section should be renamed Cultivars if it appears on a page for a species (rather than genus), or perhaps Varieties if there is a mix of cultivars, species, hybrids, etc -->~~

	~~==Gallery==~~

	~~<gallery>~~
	~~Image:Illustration Papaver somniferum0.jpg\|Opium Poppy <br /> from Thomé ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'' 1885~~
	~~Image:Field_of_opium.jpg\|A field of opium poppy in Burma.~~
	~~Image:Opium_poppy.jpg\|Ornamental poppy at [[Chatsworth House]], UK~~
	~~Image:Crowning_P_Somniferum_topview.jpg\|Immature crowning opium poppy, top view~~
	~~Image:2poppies.jpg\|Opium poppies~~
	~~Image:opium_harvest.jpg\|Opium poppies during a harvest~~
	~~</gallery>~~

	~~==References==~~
	*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
	~~<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->~~
	~~<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->~~
	~~<!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 -->~~

	~~==External links==~~
	*{{wplink}}

	~~{{stub}}~~
	~~[[Category:Categorize~~]]

	~~<!-- in order to add all the proper categories, go to http://www.plants.am/wiki/Plant_Categories and copy/paste the contents of the page here, and then follow the easy instructions! -->~~

WikiWorks at 03:13, 14 June 2009

2009-06-14T03:13:23Z

Show changes

MediaWiki default at 04:29, 8 July 2007

2007-07-08T04:29:51Z

New page

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Opium Poppy
| image = Koeh-102.jpg
| image_width = 225px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Ranunculales]]
| familia = [[Papaveraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Papaver]]''
| species = '''''P. somniferum'''''
| binomial = ''Papaver somniferum''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

The '''opium poppy''', ''Papaver somniferum'', is the type of [[poppy]] from which [[opium]] and all refined opiates such as [[morphine]], [[thebaine]], [[codeine]], [[papaverine]], and [[noscapine]] are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its [[narcotic]] properties. The seeds from low morphine varieties{{Fact|date=July 2007}} are an important food item, and contain healthy oils used in salads worldwide.

==Varieties==
''Papaver somniferum'' is a [[species]] of plant with many sub-groups or varieties. Some of the varieties (such as the Norman and Przemko varieties) have "low morphine" content meaning they have insufficient opium compounds to produce a "high" or to be useful to the drug trade. These "low morphine" varieties are sometimes called "breadseed poppies" or "florist poppies". The DEA considers it legal for gardeners to cultivate these "low morphine" varieties.

Colors of the [[flower]] vary widely, as do other physical characteristics (number and shape of petals, number of pods, production of morphine, etc.). Possession of any part of non-"low morphine" Papaver somniferum other than the seed is outlawed in the United States and is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance by the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]].<ref> [http://www.dea.gov/pubs/scheduling.html dea.gov] [http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml erowid.org]</ref>

''Papaver somniferum'' Paeoniflorum Group (sometimes called ''Papaver paeoniflorum'') is a sub-type of opium poppy whose flowers are highly double, and are grown in many colors. ''Papaver somniferum'' Laciniatum Group (sometimes called ''Papaver laciniatum'') is a sub-type of opium poppy whose flowers are highly double and deeply lobed, to the point of looking like a ruffly [[pompon]].

==Use as food==
The [[seed]]s of the poppy are widely used as the popular "poppy seed" found in and on many food items such as [[bagel]]s, [[bialy]]s, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form [[poppyseed oil]], which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for [[oil paint|oil-based paints]]. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica's entry regarding the Opium poppy seeds, the seed contains no narcotic elements.

Although they are supposed to be clear of narcotics, the television show ''[[MythBusters]]'' demonstrated that one could test positive for narcotics after consuming 4 poppy seed bagels. The show [[Brainiac: Science Abuse]] had subjects that tested positive with only 2 poppy seed bagels. This situation was parodied on the show [[Seinfeld]].

In [[India]] and [[Turkey]] opium poppy is known as '''Khaskhas''' or '''Haşhaş''' (pronounced: "Hashhash") and is considered a highly nutritious food item, mostly added in [[dough]] while baking bread, highly recommended for pregnant women and new mothers.

In [[Lithuania]] a traditional meal is prepared for the [[Kūčios]] ([[Christmas Eve]]) dinner from the poppy seeds. They are ground and mixed with water; round yeast bisquits (''kūčiukai'') are soaked in the resulting poppy seed 'milk' and served cold.

==Poppy for Medicine==
In both [[India]] and [[Turkey]], [[opium]] production is used for medicinal purposes, making poppy-based drugs, such as morphine or codeine, for domestic use or exporting raw poppy materials to other countries. The United States buys 80 percent of its medicinal opium from these two countries. However, there is an acute global shortage of opium poppy-based medicines some of which (morphine) are on the [[World Health Organisation]]'s list of [[WHO Model List of Essential Medicines|essential drugs]] as they are the most effective way of relieving severe pain. A recent initiative to extend opium production for medicinal purposes called Poppy for Medicine was launched by [[The Senlis Council]] which thinks that [[Afghanistan]] could produce medicinal opium under a scheme similar to that operating in Turkey and India (see the Council's recent report "Poppy for Medicine" [http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/events/London_event_on_afghanistan]). The Council proposes licensing poppy production in Afghanistan, within an integrated control system supported by the Afghan government and its international allies, in order to promote economic growth in the country, create vital drugs and combat poverty and the diversion of illegal opium to drug traffickers and terrorist elements. With poppy for medicine projects, opium poppy can be used as a valuable resource.

==Ornamental cultivation==
Many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations.

Many countries grow the plants; some of which rely heavily on the commercial production of the drug as a major source of income. As an additional source of profit, the same seeds are sold in the culinary trade shortly thereafter, making cultivation of the plant a significant source of income. This international trade in seeds of non-"low morphine" Papaver somniferum was addressed by a [[UN]] resolution "to fight the international trade in illicit opium poppy seeds" on July 28, 1998.

==History==
Use of the opium poppy predates written history. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient [[Sumer]]ian artifacts (''ca.'' 4000 BC). The opium poppy was also known to the ancient [[Greeks]], from whom it gained its modern name of ''Opium''. In historic contexts from Greece remains have been discovered in [[proto-geometric]] contexts at sites such as [[kalapodi]] and [[Kastanas]].

Opium was used for treating [[asthma]], stomach illnesses, and bad eye sight. The [[Opium Wars]] between [[China]] and the [[British Empire]] took place in the late 1830s when the Chinese attempted to stop the sale of opium by Britain, in China.

Many modern writers, particularly in the nineteenth century, have written on the opium poppy and its effects, notably [[L. Frank Baum]] with ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', and [[Thomas de Quincey]]'s ''[[Confessions of an English Opium Eater]]''

==Photos==
* [http://www.poppies.org/gallery/ The Papaver somniferum Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.geopium.org/Photos/Pavots_Poppies/pavotspoppies.htm Photos of opium poppies on www.geopium.org]

<br />

<gallery>
Image:Illustration Papaver somniferum0.jpg|Opium Poppy <br /> from Thomé ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'' 1885
Image:Field_of_opium.jpg|A field of opium poppy in Burma.
Image:Opium_poppy.jpg|Ornamental poppy at [[Chatsworth House]], UK
Image:Crowning_P_Somniferum_topview.jpg|Immature crowning opium poppy, top view
Image:2poppies.jpg|Opium poppies
Image:opium_harvest.jpg|Opium poppies during a harvest
</gallery>

==Sources and notes==
<references/>
*[http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy Erowid Poppy Vault]
*[http://www.maltawildplants.com/PAPV/Papaver_somniferum.html Comprehensive profile for ''Papaver somniferum'' from the website [[MaltaWildPlants.com]]]
*[http://www.poppies.org/faq/introduction/how-potent-are-the-major-culinary-spicerack-varieties-such-as-mccormick/#more poppies.org]
*[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6723894.html freepatentsonline.com]

[[Category:Papaveraceae]]