Opium Poppy

Did you know

• The opium poppy is the source of morphine, codeine, and heroin — its sap (latex) contains over 80 alkaloids and is the basis for nearly all opioid pain medications.
• It's been cultivated for at least 6,000 years; Sumerian tablets called it 'hul gil', the joy plant.
• The familiar poppy seeds on bagels and lemon poppy seed cakes come from this exact species — the seeds themselves are non-narcotic and perfectly safe to eat.
• After the petals fall, the inflated seedpods are striking ornamental features in their own right and are dried for floral arrangements.
• Some 'breadseed poppy' varieties bred purely for their ornamental flowers and edible seeds are legal to grow in most countries, while extracting opium from them is not.

Color meanings

Uses

• Cottage gardens
• Cut flowers
• Dried seedpods
• Culinary seeds