Iceland Poppy – Papaver nudicaule

Common Name: Iceland Poppy

Botanical Name: Papaver nudicaule, Pa-PAH-ver new-di-CAW-lee

Decorative Life: 5-7 days.

Flower Color: Orange, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

Availability: Summer

Should be harvested when the buds have split such that the color can be seen underneath.

• Member of the Papaveraceae (poppy family).
• Native to the Arctic region of North America, Eurasia. Hence, the common name!
• Some not so common relatives include Dendromecon, Meconopsis and Romneya.

• Has four papery petals around a center composed of many stamens, solitary at stem ends.
• Stems are leafless, hairy, wiry, up to 24 inches long.
• Plant is a herbaceous perennial, classed as a dicotyledon.
• Flowers are not fragrant.

36-41 F, in water for short time. Store upright to prevent geotropism (stem bending). Storage at 34F for one week did not reduce vaselife.

• Poppies thrive in freshly turned soil, and grew by the millions in France during World War I. The ground was churned in battle, and as a consequence the Poppy has long been associated with war. The Opium Poppy has been used medicinally since ancient times, and its name comes from Latin “somnus” for sleep.
• The specific epithet name “nudicaule” means naked stem, no leaves on stem.
• Papaver is an old Latin name for poppy and is from “pappa” (food or milk), an allusion to the milky latex.
• With many members of this genus, flowers only open after the calyx splits releasing the petals.