Crops Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

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Common Name	POPPY
Latin binomial	Papaver somniferum
Plant family	Papaveraceae
Names in other languages	pavot (F), mohn (D), adormidera (E)

Cultivated poppies have become notorious as the source of opium and the refined narcotic drugs which are produced from it, morphine and heroin. The substances contained in the opium (which is the dried latex obtained from the green capsules) may alternatively be recovered industrially from the mature seed-beds; they include over 20 recognised alkaloids, of which the most valuable are morphine and codeine, both of great medical benefit. Poppies are also well-known as showy ornamentals and common weeds. The seeds of cultivated varieties are used as a topping on breads and cakes, and as a filler in pastries and curries; the seeds contain up to 50 percent of a clear edible oil, some of which is also used in the preparation of soaps and artists' paints. Probably originating in Southwest Asia, and domesticated in Neolithic times, poppies are now very widely grown, particularly in temperate regions, though culture in Western Europe is at present limited to small areas.

This entry forms part of the publication Crops for Industry and Energy in Europe

References:

Bremness, L (1988) The Complete Book of Herbs. London: Dorling Kindersley & National Trust.

Hornok, L (Ed) (1992) Cultivation and Processing of Medicinal Plants. University of Horticultural Sciences, Budapest. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Langer, R H M & Hill, G D (1991) Agricultural Plants (2nd Edn) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robellen, G, Downey, K R & Ashri, A (Eds) (1989) Oil Crops of the World: their Breeding and Utilisation. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Rosengarten, F (1969) The Book of Spices. Wynnewood: Livingston Publishing Co.

Zohary, D & Hopf M (1988) Domestication of Plants in the Old World. Oxford: Clarendon Press.