Common poppy

The common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is a familiar sight throughout the British Isles (except northern Scotland) with its bright red flowers that appear on many roadside verges and on the edges of cornfields. It may therefore be surprising to learn that the petals drop after only one day, but this is hardly noticeable given that a single plant can produce more than 400 flowers between May and October.

The common poppy is a tall, upright plant that can grow to 24 inches high (60 centimetres). The lower leaves are stalked and have narrow lobes and bristles at the tips, whereas the upper leaves, with their three lobes, are stalkless.

The flowers are 3-4 inches across (7.5-10 centimetres) with overlapping petals. The seed capsules are rounded with a ring of pores near the top from which the seeds are shaken when the wind blows.

Another name for the common poppy is the corn rose, which relates to its association with cornfields and the fact that it used to be seen much more commonly growing alongside corn in the days before selective weedkillers.

The use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance dates from World War I when it was one of the few plants that would grow on the devastated fields of Flanders after they had been shelled and fought over.

© John Welford