The poppy belongs to the subfamily Papaveroideae which is constituted of about 100 species of plants. It is a plant that can reach a height of 20 to 60 cm.
They are resistant plants and therefore grow easily in any type of soil. From the moment the flowers appear, it does not take long for it to give seeds.
Like any plant, the poppy needs natural light, which can be intense sun or partial shade. Ideally, this plant should receive about six hours of sun per day.
The poppy’s blooming in the fields are a sign of springtime and the bright, warm days of summer.
We usually associate poppies to the red color. However, depending on the species, it can go from white to yellow.
The poppy is used and grown as an ornamental flower since a long time ago. It is represented in the Egyptian tombs and the Greeks dedicated it to Demeter (goddess of fertility and agriculture) and associated it with Hypnos, Nix and Thanatos (respectively gods of sleep, night and death), as a consequence of their known medicinal properties.
A curiosity about this plant is the fact that the rhoeadine alkaloid of the flowers of the poppy seedlings is a mild sedative already used by the Neolithic peoples of Europe.
Poppies produce flowers with fine, shiny petals in spring and summer. They are short-living but can be quickly replaced.
The seeds of this plant are "reserved" in a capsule that remains outdoors after the petals fall.
In humid conditions they can reproduce through root cuttings.
Written by: Rita Lopes
Translated by: Francisca Rehbein
Photos by: Júlia Aguiar
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