Photographs: Co. Cork

Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum Codlaidín Family: Papaveraceae Flowering: June-August. Annual. Introduced. Large flowers with a dark blotch at the petal base and 5-10cm in diameter. Usually lilac but can be white, pink or red in single or double-flowered forms. Followed by round-oval, hairless seed capsules. Oblong, coarse-toothed leaves are bluish-green, the upper leaves stem-clasping. An erect, strong-growing, hairless plant. Height to 50cm. A garden escape that can be a frequent casual on sandy soils on waste ground and roadsides.

Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, Codlaidín