Papaveraceae is a
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
of flowering plants. The family has been universally recognized by taxonomists, and is also known as the "poppy family". It is a cosmopolitan family occurring in
temperateIn geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold. But in continental areas, such as central North America the variations between summer...
and subtropical climates. Most are
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
aceous plants, but a few are
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s.
The plants are laticiferous. All parts contain a well developed duct system (these ducts are called "laticifers"), producing a milky
latexLatex refers generically to a stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic. Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid within many plants that coagulates on exposure to air. It is a complex emulsion in which proteins, alkaloids,...
, a watery white, yellow or red juice.
The simple
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are alternate or sometimes whorled.
Papaveraceae is a
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
of flowering plants. The family has been universally recognized by taxonomists, and is also known as the "poppy family". It is a cosmopolitan family occurring in
temperateIn geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold. But in continental areas, such as central North America the variations between summer...
and subtropical climates. Most are
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
aceous plants, but a few are
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and small
treeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s.
The plants are laticiferous. All parts contain a well developed duct system (these ducts are called "laticifers"), producing a milky
latexLatex refers generically to a stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic. Latex as found in nature is a milky sap-like fluid within many plants that coagulates on exposure to air. It is a complex emulsion in which proteins, alkaloids,...
, a watery white, yellow or red juice.
The simple
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are alternate or sometimes whorled. They have
petioleIn botany, the petiole is the small stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly...
s and are not enclosed by a sheath. The leaves are usually lobed or pinnatifid (i.e. consisting of several not entirely separate leaflets), or much-divided. There are no
stipuleIn botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
s.
The plants are
hermaphroditicIn a biological context, a hermaphrodite is an animal or plant that has both male and female reproductive organs.Many taxonomic groups of animals , do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both partners can...
and are
pollinatedPollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains, which contain the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
mostly by
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s (even as flower nectaries are lacking; entomophilous), a few by the wind (anemophilous). There is a distinct calyx and corolla, except in
Macleaya where the corolla is lacking. The flowers are medium-sized or large and they look spectacular. The terminal flowers solitary in most species. In others the terminal
inflorescenceAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is cymose or
racemoseA raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. The flowers are odourless and regular.
There are many
stamenThe stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs,...
s, mostly 16 to 60, arranged in two separate whorls, the outer one with stamens alternate with the petals, the inner one opposite. The gynoecium consists of a compound pistil with 2 to 100 carpels. The
ovaryIn the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the carpel which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
is superior and 1-locular. The ovary is without a footstalk (sessile) or on a short stem (stipitate).
The non-fleshy
fruitThe term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds, and the presence of seeds indicates that a structure is most likely a fruit, though not all seeds come from...
is usually a
capsuleIn botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a dehiscent structure composed of two or more carpels, that, at maturity, split apart to release the seeds within...
, breaking open at maturity to release the
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s through pores (poricidal), or through the partitions between the cells (septicidal), or by means of valves (valvular). The numerous seeds are small. Their nutritive tissue (endosperm) is oily and farinose. The fruit of
Platystemon is a
schizocarpA schizocarp is a dry fruit that develops from multiple carpels. When mature it splits up into mericarps. Mericarps are often 1-seeded as in, for example, Malva, Malvastrum, and Sida...
.
These plants almost all contain
alkaloidAlkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals and are part of...
s. Many are
poisonIn the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism...
ous. The Mexican Prickly Poppy (pictured above) is poisonous if taken internally and may cause
edemaEdema or oedema , formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin, or in one or more cavities of the body...
and
glaucomaGlaucoma is a group of diseases that affect the optic nerve and involves a loss of retinal ganglion cells in a characteristic pattern. It is a type of optic neuropathy. Raised intraocular pressure is a significant risk factor for developing glaucoma...
. Even if an animal, such as a
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, should persist in grazing on this plant, not only will the animal suffer but so will those who drink its
milkMilk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce...
, because the poisons are passed along in the milk.
Taxonomy
The
APG II systemA modern system of plant taxonomy, the APG II system of plant classification was published in 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, APG, in*Angiosperm Phylogeny Group . An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II. Botanical...
(2003; unchanged from the
APG systemA modern system of plant taxonomy, the APG system of plant classification was published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. The system is unusual in being based, not on total evidence, but on the cladistic analysis of the DNA sequences of three genes, two chloroplast genes and one gene...
of 1998) places the family in the order
RanunculalesRanunculales is an order of flowering plants. Of necessity it contains the family Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family.The APG system and the APG II system both recognize the order and place it among the basal eudicots, not assigned to a further clade...
, in the clade
eudicotsEudicots and Eudicotyledons are terms introduced by Doyle & Hotton to refer to a group of flowering plants that had been called "tricolpates" or "non-Magnoliid dicots" by previous authors. The term means, literally, "true dicotyledons" as it contains the majority of plants that have been...
. However, APG does provide for the option to segregate two families, as optional segregate. Thus, there are two possible circumscriptions:
- Papaveraceae sensu lato, including the plants that would otherwise form the families Fumariaceae
Fumariaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by a fair number of taxonomists: it is sometimes called the "Fumitory family". The family includes some popular garden plants, such as...
and Pteridophyllaceae.
- Papaveraceae sensu stricto, excluding these plants.
The family
sensu stricto conforms to the family as recognised by the
Cronquist systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Cronquist system is a scheme for the classification of flowering plants . This system was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's...
, of 1981 (Cronquist recognised Fumariaceae as separate). This comprises about 26 genera and about 250 species. The description given above applies to the family in this narrow sense.
Genera in Papaveraceae
sensu stricto
- Arctomecon
Arctomecon is a genus of the poppy family Papaveraceae commonly called the bear poppies or bear-paw poppies, after the distinctive appearance of the leaves...
- Argemone
Argemone is a genus of the family Papaveraceae. There are 30 to 32 species native to the Americas and Hawaii.-Selected species:*Argemone aenea *Argemone albiflora **Argemone albiflora subsp. albiflora...
: Prickly Poppies
- Bocconia
Bocconia is a genus of the family Papaveraceae. It was named after the Italian botanist Paolo Boccone by Carolus Linnaeus, and contains about 10 species....
- Canbya
Canbya, also known as the "pygmy poppies", is a genus of the poppy family Papaveraceae consisting of two species found in the dry parts of western North America...
- Corydalis
Corydalis is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Fumariaceae, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and also southern Africa...
- Chelidonium
- Dendromecon
Dendromecon, the tree poppy, is a genus of one or two species of shrubs to small trees, native to California and northern Baja California. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, lanceolate to ovate, 3-10 cm long...
: Bush Poppies
- Dicranostigma
Dicranostigma, also known as the eastern horned poppies, is a genus in the poppy family Papaveraceae, the species of which are native to the Himalaya and western China...
- Eomecon
- Eschscholzia
Eschscholzia is a genus of 12 flowering plants in the Papaveraceae family. The genus was named after the Baltic German botanist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz ....
- Glaucium
Glaucium is a genus of about 25 species of annual, biennial or perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae, native to Europe, north Africa, and southwest and central Asia...
- Hunnemannia : Mexican Poppies
- Hylomecon
Hylomecon vernalis, also known as the forest poppy, is a poppy of the Far East, ranging from Manchuria to Japan.This poppy is a perennial that spreads via rhizomes, typically no taller than 30 cm...
- Hypecoum
- Macleaya
Macleaya is a genus of Papaveraceae family....
: Plume Poppies
- Meconella
Meconella is a small genus of flowering plants in the poppy family. They are known generally as fairypoppies.There are about 3 species:*Meconella californica - California fairypoppy*Meconella denticulata - smallflower fairypoppy...
- Meconopsis
Meconopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae. The species have attractive flowers and have two distinct ranges. A single species, Meconopsis cambrica, also known as the Welsh poppy, is indigenous to England, Wales, Ireland, and the fringes of Western Europe. The other 40 or...
: Blue Poppies
- Papaver
Papaver is a genus of poppies, belonging to the Poppy family .Its 120-odd species include the opium poppy and corn poppy. These are annual, biennial and perennial hardy, frost-tolerant plants growing natively in the temperate climates of Eurasia, Africa and North America...
- Platystemon : Creamcups
- Platystigma
- Roemeria
- Romneya
- Sanguinaria : Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
- Stylomecon
Stylomecon is a genus of annual plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has only one species, Stylomecon heterophylla, the Wind Poppy, which is native to California and north western Mexico....
- Stylophorum
Stylophorum, also known as the celandine poppies, is a genus in the poppy family Papaveraceae. It includes three species, two found in China and one in eastern North America....
Cultivation and symbolism
The family is well loved for the striking flowers known as
poppyA poppy is any of a number of colorful flowers, typically withone per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with colorful flowers found growing singularly or in large groups; many species are also grown in gardens...
, with several species grown as
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
s, such as
California PoppyThe California poppy is native to grassy and open areas from sea level to 2,000m altitude in the western United States throughout California, extending to Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora and northwest Baja California.It can grow 5–60 cm tall,...
(
Eschscholtzia californica), the California state flower. The common poppy or
corn poppyPapaver rhoeas is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It has a variety of common names, including the Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy, one of the many species and genera named poppy. The four petals are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their...
(
Papaver rhoeas) is still worn in remembrance of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
(see also
In Flanders Fields"In Flanders Fields" is one of the most famous poems written during World War I and has been called "the most popular poem" produced during that period. It is written in the form of a French rondeau...
). The family also contains the
Opium PoppyThe Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and many refined opiates, including morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine, are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its narcotic properties. The seeds are...
(
Papaver somniferum), which is the source of
opiumOpium is a narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating the immature seed pods of opium poppies . It contains up to 12% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade...
and opiates, as well as most of the poppy
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s used in
cookingCooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food. The process encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to alter the flavor, appearance, texture,...
and
bakingBaking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, and cookies. Such items are...
.
A poppy flower is depicted on the
reverseThe term, obverse, and its opposite, reverse, describe the two sides of units of currency and many other kinds of two-sided objects - most often in reference to coins, but also to paper currency, flags , medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics...
of the
MacedonianMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country in the central Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
500
denarsThe denar is the currency of the Republic of Macedonia. It is subdivided into 100 deni...
banknote, issued in 1996 and 2003.
External links