Papaveraceae

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Poppy family

Image:Kalifornischer Mohn1.jpg
California poppy

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Papaveraceae Juss.

Genera

See text

The Papaveraceae, or Poppy family, is a family from the order Ranunculales. It comprises 26 genera and about 250 species.

It is a cosmopolitan family occurring in temperate and subtropical climates. They consist of herbaceous plants, but a few are shrubs or small trees. Several species are grown as ornamental plants, such as California Poppy (Eschscholtzia californica), the California state flower. The common poppy or the corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is still worn in remembrance of Word War I (see also In Flanders Fields). The Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source of opium.

Image:Argemone.mexicana2web.jpg

The plants are laticiferous. All parts contain a well developed duct system (called laticifers), producing a milky or watery yellow or red juice.

The simple leaves are alternate or sometimes whorled. They have petioles and are not enclosed by a sheath. The leaves are usually lobed or pinnatifid (i.e. consisting of several not entirely separate leaflets), or much-divided. There are no stipules.

The plants are hermaphroditic and are pollinated mostly by insects (even as flower nectaries are lacking) (= entomophilous), a few by the wind ( = anemophilous). There is a distinct calyx and corolla, except in Macleaya where the corolla is lacking. The flowers are medium-sized or large and they look spectacular. The terminal flowers solitary in most species. In others the terminal inflorescence is cymose or racemose. The flowers are odorless and regular.

There are many stamens, mostly 16 to 60, arranged in two separate whorls, the outer one with stamens alternate with the petals, the inner one opposite. The gynoecium consists of a compound pistil with 2 to 100 carpels. The ovary is superior and 1-locular. The ovary is without a footstalk (sessile) or on a short stem (stipitate).

The non-fleshy fruit is usually a capsule, breaking open at maturity to release the seeds through pores (poricidal), or through the partitions between the cells (septicidal), or by means of valves (valvular). The numerous seeds are small. Their nutritive tissue (endosperm) is oily and farinose. The fruit of Platystemon is a schizocarp.

These plants almost all contain alkaloids. Many are poisonous. The Mexican Prickly Poppy (pictured above) is poisonous if taken internally and may cause edema and glaucoma. Even if an animal, such as a goat, should persist in grazing on this plant, not only will the animal suffer but so will those who drink its milk, because the poisons are passed along in the milk.