The
Welsh poppy (
Meconopsis cambrica) (2n=28) is a perennial plant of the family
PapaveraceaePapaveraceae is a family 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 temperate and subtropical climates. Most are herbaceous plants, but a few are shrubs and small trees.The plants...
. Its habitat is damp, shady places on rocky ground, and it is native to south-western
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
. In its most western locations, it is increasingly found on more open ground with less cover.
It has
pinnatePinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly divided leaves. The flower is distinctively yellow or orange with four petals, and hairy green sepals that fall off quickly after the flower opens.
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The
Welsh poppy (
Meconopsis cambrica) (2n=28) is a perennial plant of the family
PapaveraceaePapaveraceae is a family 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 temperate and subtropical climates. Most are herbaceous plants, but a few are shrubs and small trees.The plants...
. Its habitat is damp, shady places on rocky ground, and it is native to south-western
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
,
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
and
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
. In its most western locations, it is increasingly found on more open ground with less cover.
It has
pinnatePinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly divided leaves. The flower is distinctively yellow or orange with four petals, and hairy green sepals that fall off quickly after the flower opens. It spreads easily from the numerous small black seeds produced in the summer. It is especially well adapted to colonising gaps and crevices in rocks and stones. This habit has enabled it to colonise the urban environment, growing between paving slabs and at the edges of walls.
It was originally classified as
Papaver cambricum and may be referred to as such in older texts. It is the only member of the
Meconopsis (Papaveraceae with yellow latex) genus native to Europe.
On February 24 2006 the Welsh political party
Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union.Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
adopted the Welsh poppy as its party logo.