PAPAVERACEAE The Poppy Family

 
 

The Papaveraceae are characterized by:

 

Based on recent phylogenetic analyses, the Papaveraceae has been enlarged to include the former family Fumariaceae.  It turns out that species of the latter are evolutionarily derived from within the poppy family.  In order to understand the variation within the Papaveraceae sensu lato, it is convenient to contrast the subfamily Fumarioideae with the rest of the poppies.  Keep in mind that the characters of "other poppies" are ancestral within the family and do not circumscribe a natural group.

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The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is probably the most important cultivated member of the Papaveraceae.  Latex sap from the capsular fruit is harvested and is the source of opium, morphine, codeine, and heroin.  Poppy seeds and poppy seed oil are eaten.  This family also includes many lovely ornamentals, such as bleeding hearts, Dutchman's breeches, mecanopsis, and the California poppy. 

There are two "groups" within the Papaveraceae: 

 

 

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 Site created and maintained by Matthew Willmann and Melissa Luckow Cornell University, Ithaca, New York September 1998