Poppy Facts

The poppy is botanically known as the family Papaveraceae and there are approximately 200 species in this genus, with some that are abundant and some species nearing extinction.

These flowers have species that reach a mere 2 inches in height, like the Canbya and others that reach ten feet in height known as the Poppy Tree.

The genus Papaver somniferum is the only poppy that contains a high percentage of the alkaloids that are opium and it is known as the opium poppy. It is grown in Afghanistan, Laos, and a few other countries for illegal sales of opium based drugs. This poppy is grown in India for use in making legal prescription drugs such as morphine, codeine and other opiate drugs.

This flower is the official flower for honoring soldiers of the First World War and other military personnel that fought in foreign wars. It was during the World War I that the poem In Flanders Field was written by a Canadian military surgeon to honor a young soldier among all the others that were killed during a battle in Flanders Field.

The poppy has also been used in ancient cultures for Egyptian burials of Pharaohs, Greek gods and goddesses, who either carried poppies or wore a crown of the flowers. They have also been used in movies like the Wizard of Oz with a field of poppies that caused sleep and in the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose character Holmes smoked opium.

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