Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland poppy,[4] is a boreal flowering plant. Native to subpolar regions of Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia as well as temperate China[5] (but not in Iceland), Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials. They yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, 1 foot (30 cm) curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1–6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.
| Papaver nudicaule | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Papaveraceae |
| Genus: | Papaver |
| Species: | P. nudicaule |
| Binomial name | |
| Papaver nudicaule | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
List
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The Latin specific epithet nudicaule means "with bare stems".[6]
Cultivars
Cultivars come in shades of yellow, orange, salmon, rose, pink, cream and white as well as bi-colored varieties. Seed strains include: 'Champagne Bubbles' (15-inch plants in orange, pink, scarlet, apricot, yellow, and creamy-white); 'Wonderland' (10-inch dwarf strain with flowers up to 4 inches wide); 'Flamenco' (pink shades, bordered white, 11⁄2 to 2 feet tall); 'Party Fun' (to 1 foot, said to bloom reliably the first year in autumn and the second spring); 'Illumination' and 'Meadow Pastels' (to 2 feet, perhaps the tallest strains); 'Matador' (scarlet flowers to 5 inches across on 16 inch plants); the perennial 'Victory Giants' with red petals and 'Oregon Rainbows', which has large selfed, bicolor, and picoteed[check spelling] flowers and is perhaps the best strain for the cool Pacific Northwest[7] (elsewhere this strain's buds frequently fail to open).
The dwarf Gartenzwerg group,[8] and the cultivars 'Solar Fire Orange'[9] and 'Summer Breeze Orange'[10] have all won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11]
Cultivation
The plants prefer light, well-drained soil and full sun. The plants are not hardy in hot weather, perishing within a season in hot summer climates.
Iceland poppies, like all poppies, possess exceedingly minute seeds and long taproots that resent disturbance.[citation needed] In cool summer climates on well-drained soils, Iceland poppies can live 2–3 seasons, flowering from early spring to fall.[12]
Iceland poppies are amongst the best poppies for cutting, as they last for several days in the vase.[13]
Genetics
The genetics of the garden forms of P. nudicaule have been studied, particularly with respect to flower colour.[14] The white flower colour is dominant with respect to yellow. Other colours, such as buff and orange, are recessive.
Toxicity
All parts of this plant are likely to be poisonous,[15] containing (like all poppies) toxic alkaloids. In particular, P. nudicaule has been shown to contain the benzophenanthidine alkaloid, chelidonine.[16] It also contains (+)-amurine, (-)-amurensinine, (-)-O-methylthalisopavine, (-)-flavinantine and (-)-amurensine.[17]
References
External links
Media related to Papaver nudicaule at Wikimedia Commons- Papaver nudicaule - informative article about Papaver nudicaule
