~ POPPY PATCH ~

Family: Papaveraceae
These poppies bear outrageous flowers and have all been used in medicine due to the
presence of pain-relieving alkaloids. General cultivation: Extra care. Short-lived
seedsow within 2 years of receipt. Must be sown in cold soils! Direct seed in fall
or early spring. Press hard into surface. Grows rapidly in rich, moist soils. Prefers to
flower and fruit in dry, hot conditions.

Breadseed........................Papaver somniferum
(Opium Poppy)
Annual or overwintering annual. Lavender flowers, dark basal spot, giant pods. Pure
(unmixed) strain. Opium poppies have been grown and utilized for over 4,000 years
as a sedative and anodyne, first cultivated in Asia Minor. An alkaloid-rich cultivar.
The seed is good in baking. Thin to 4 inches apart. Flowers 3 to 4 feet tall.

California.........................Eschscholzia californica
Herbaceous perennial, self-seeding. Native to California, Oregon and the
southwestern U.S.. Very resilient and tough flowers, a yellow and orange carpet for
the spring pasture or along the driveway. Tincture of fresh herb, especially root and
seed capsule, works well for calming children and adults who have sensitive
constitutions. Cultivation: Scatter the seed in fall or early spring on disturbed soil.
We give plenty of seed per packet, so you can get a good patch going in this manner.
Dislikes transplanting. Flowers up to 18 inches tall.

Poppy, Flanders .....................Papaver rhoeas

(Corn Poppy, Shirley Poppy)
Annual. Native to Europe and temperate Asia. The British yearly commemorate those
killed in battle on "Poppy Day" by wearing a Flanders Poppy at the lapel. All parts of
this plant contain the non-addictive alkaloid rheadine. The general activity is
soporific (inducing a deep sleep). Flowers bright red to 32 inches.

Peshawar...........Papaver somniferum var. album

(White Poppy, Opium Poppy)
Annual or overwintering annual. Fast growing. Produces a compact plant with white
flowers and an elongated pod loaded with white seeds. This strain originated in the
Peshawar region of Pakistan. An alkaloid-rich cultivar. Cultivation the same as for
Poppy, Breadseed, but this plant blooms earlier

Plume ....................Bocconia cordata syn. Macleaya cordata

(Tree Celandine)
Herbaceous perennial. Volunteers freely. Native to China. The curious, palmate

leaves are reminiscent of bloodroot, with leaf stems frilled where they clasp the
smooth stem of the plant. Extraordinarily decorative and hardy plant for backdrops
and central garden focus, with silvery leaf tones and long-lived, conspicuous white
flowering racemes that last from summer to frost. This plant is rich in the alkaloid
sanguinarine (see Bloodroot and Celandine) as well as poppy type alkaloids.
Medicinally, the acrid juice is used externally, to resolve growths or to deaden pain of
insect stings. Plant prefers full sun to part shade and moist, rich soils. Plant 6 inches
apart. Flowers to 10 feet in second year.

Prickly .........................Argemone munita

Potentially Toxic.
Annual. Native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. Self-seeding. Blooming from
late spring to autumn, this drought-tolerant plant produces big, white flowers with
golden-yellow centers. The tea of the dried plant is analgesic and antiinflammatory. Cultivation: Extra care. Sporadic germinator, but reliable. Scarify.
Put seed in hot (not boiling) water and soak overnight. Sow in a warm place.

Yellow Horned...............Glaucium flavum

itBiennial or perennial herb. Native to the Mediterranean basin. With s silver foliage,
3-inch-wide, golden blooms and foot-long ornamental seedpods, the plant is
absolutely remarkable. Cultivation: Extra care. Best results may be obtained by
sowing the seeds outdoors in the fall, midwinter or very early spring. Expect
germination as the ground warms up. Space plants 1 foot apart. Flowers yellow, to
20 inches.
~ YOU ARE LEAVING THE POPPY PATCH ~

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