P O P P Y
“That we find a crystal or a poppy beautiful means that we are less alone, that we are more deeply inserted into existence than the course of a single life would lead us to believe. “
John Berger
The true poppy genus is Papaver, but many flowers of related genera are also called poppies. The most frequently cultivated is the Oriental poppy (P. orientale), usually bearing a large scarlet flower with a purplish black base.
The California poppy, Eschscholzia californica, is the state flower of California.
The poppy of wartime remembrance is Papaver rhoeas, the red-flowered corn poppy.
In Mexico, Grupo Modelo, the makers of Corona beer, used red poppy flowers in most of its advertising images until the 1960s.
The poppy is part of the coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.
Poppies are commonly featured as the central flower in Puerto Rican weddings.
Canada issued special quarters (25-cent coins) with a red poppy on the reverse in 2004, 2008 and 2010. The 2004 Canadian “poppy” quarter was the world’s first coloured circulation coin.
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Poppies produce a wide variety of medicines including opium, heroin, morphine, codeine. Each of these medicinal derivatives come from the unripe seed capsule or pod of P. somniferum. The ripe seed pods of the opium poppy are also the source of the commonly used culinary poppy seeds.
BOLD and DYNAMIC
Bright, colorful and alive
Striking and electric
IN HOT SUMMER COLORS
DEEP Scarlet RED and Sweet JUICY Orange
•♦◊ P o p p i e s ◊♦•
Mystical and magical
•• Intoxicating ••
Dreamy
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References and suggested reading
- Poppy Emporium (poppyemporium.com)
- Opium poppies (www.erowid.org)
- Scientists Identify Opium Poppy Genes that Make Promising Cancer Drug (healthland.time.com)
- California Poppy (totheforest.wordpress.com)
- Poppy (wikipedia)
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I love poppy flowers and could watch them all day. 😉
Hey Eof: Me too…poppies are so dreamy…to me they seem to be the flowers of fairy tales.
Gorgeous colors and an ephemeral fragility –poppies are delightful and your first two images are fabulous.
Thanks so much TT! 🙂
Beautiful, bright poppies and great photos, Strawberryindigo. Especially the first one/the header. And I think you found all the right words to describe them here! (Like the photo of Dorothy!) 😀
Hi Cathy: I’m going poppy today. Feeling the happy vibes…even going to an amusement park later. Thanks for stopping by (Dorothy thanks you too) 😉
Have fun! 😀
Too beautiful!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you amy for commenting! 🙂