Everything you never thought you'd know about Poppies

30th October 2023

Now that we're approaching November it'll be no surprise to you that I've chosen the poppy as this month's flower. The poppy is of course synonymous with death and remembrance, and before that, opium, but that's been done to death! (If you'll pardon the pun!) I'm going to delve into the ancient myths and medicinal uses that are perhaps not as well known or recognised as our beloved remembrance symbol. There's a lot more to the common poppy than meets the eye! There are about 50 other species of Poppy that are grown for their attractive flowers and interestingly cut foliage..

Poppy, or Papaver to give it its posh Latin name, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. Good to know! Like all other common flowers, poppy has its fair share of colloquial names, although not very imaginative, I have to say: Common Poppy, Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, Red Poppy and, you guessed it, Shirley Poppy. Slightly more adventurous is Corn Rose, Red Weed and Coquelicot.