Oriental poppy

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The Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) is a perennial poppy of the genus Papaver.

Aside from its natural brilliant orange-scarlet, since the later 19th century selective breeding for gardens has created a range of colors from clean white with eggplant-black blotches ("Barr's White" is the standard against which other whites are measured), through clear true pinks and salmon pinks to a deep maroon.

Oriental poppies throw up a mound of handsome, finely cut hairy foliage in spring. After flowering, the foliage dies away entirely, an adaptation to survival in the summer drought of Central Asia. Late-developing plants should be planted nearby, to fill the developing gap. Fresh leaves appear with autumn rains.

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