Poppy

Uses and cultivation

The flowers of most poppy species are attractive and are widely cultivated as annual or perennial ornamental plants. This has resulted in a number of commercially important cultivars, such as the Shirley poppy, a cultivar of Papaver rhoeas and semi-double or double (flore plena) forms of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum and oriental poppy (Papaver orientale). Poppies of several other genera are also cultivated in gardens.

Poppy seeds are rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium and protein and are regularly used to fill various pastries in Central and Eastern Europe. Poppy oil is often used as cooking oil, salad dressing oil, or in products such as margarine. Poppy oil can also be added to spices for cakes or breads. Poppy products are also used in different paints, varnishes, and some cosmetics.

A few species have other uses, principally as sources of drugs and foods. The opium poppy is widely cultivated and its worldwide production is monitored by international agencies. It is used for production of dried latex and opium, the principal precursor of narcotic and analgesic opiates such as morphine, heroin, and codeine.

Traditional medicine

Raw opium poppy seeds can sometimes contain extremely small quantities of opiate alkaloids such as morphine and codeine. Poppy seeds and fixed oils can also be nonnarcotic because when they are harvested about twenty days after the flower has opened, the morphine is no longer present. Poppy cultivation is strictly regulated in most parts of the world, with exceptions, such as India where opium gum, which also contains the analgesic thebaine, is legally produced.

History

Papaver somniferum was domesticated by the indigenous people of Western and Central Europe between 6000 and 3500 BC. However, it is believed that its origins may come from the Sumerian people, where the first use of opium was recognized. Poppies and opium made their way around the world along the silk road. Juglets resembling poppy seed pods have been discovered with trace amounts of opium and the flower appeared in jewelry and on art pieces in Ancient Egypt, dated 1550–1292 BC.

The eradication of poppy cultivation came about in the early 1900s through international conferences due to safety concerns associated with the production of opium. In the 1970s the American war on drugs targeted Turkish production of the plant, leading to a more negative popular opinion of the U.S.

In culture

The feminine given name "Poppy" is taken from the name of the flower.

A poppy flower is depicted on the reverse of the Macedonian 500-denar banknote, issued in 1996 and 2003. The poppy is also part of the coat of arms of North Macedonia.

Canada has issued special quarters (25-cent coins) with a red poppy on the reverse in 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2015. The 2004 Canadian "poppy" quarter was the world's first coloured circulation coin.

Symbolism

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: Sleep because the opium extracted from them is a sedative, and death because of the common blood-red colour of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep. This symbolism was evoked in L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a magical poppy field threatened to make the protagonists sleep forever. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death.

Red-flowered poppy is unofficially considered the national flower of the Albanians in Albania, Kosovo and elsewhere. This is due to its red and black colours, the same as the colours of the flag of Albania. Red poppies are also the national flower of Poland. The California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is the state flower of California.

The powerful symbolism of Papaver rhoeas has been borrowed by various advocacy campaigns, such as the White Poppy and Simon Topping's black poppy.

Wartime remembrance

The poppy of wartime remembrance is Papaver rhoeas, the red-flowered corn poppy. This poppy is a common plant of disturbed ground in Europe and is found in many locations, including Flanders, which is the setting of the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" by the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, artificial poppies (plastic in Canada, paper in the UK, Australia, South Africa, Malta and New Zealand) are worn to commemorate those who died in war.

This form of commemoration is associated with Remembrance Day, which falls on 11 November. In Canada, Australia and the UK, poppies are often worn from the beginning of November through to the 11th, or Remembrance Sunday, if that falls on a later date. In New Zealand and Australia, soldiers are also commemorated on ANZAC day (25 April), although the poppy is still commonly worn around Remembrance Day. Wearing of poppies has been a custom since 1924 in the United States. Moina Michael of Georgia is credited as the founder of the Memorial Poppy in the United States.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars provides financial aid to its members in need and their families, partly through the selling of artificial poppies known by the registered trademark "Buddy Poppy" since 1924. Disabled veterans have assembled the poppies from the beginning of the campaign in 1923. The VFW Buddy Poppy program has raised enormous capital to support the welfare of veterans and their families.

The original poppy poster was painted by Howard Chandler Christy in 1926. Many other official posters appeared in subsequent years. Their purpose was to advertise and promote sales.