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Opium poppy


Opium poppy

|- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background: lightgreen;" | Scientific classification |- style="text-align:center;" |

|- valign=top |Kingdom:||Plantae |- valign=top |Division:||Magnoliophyta |- valign=top |Class:||Magnoliopsida |- valign=top |Order:||Ranunculales |- valign=top |Family:||Papaveraceae |- valign=top |Genus:||Papaver |- valign=top |Species:||somniferum |} |}

The opium poppy Papaver somniferum is the type of poppy from which opium and all refined opiates such as heroin are extracted, as well as an important food item. There are many varieties of this poppy family. Colors of the flower vary widely, as does other physical characteristics (number & shape of petals, number of pods, production of morphine, etc.).

The name means, loosely, the sleep-bringing poppy, and refers to its narcotic properties.


The seeds of the poppy are widely used as the popular "poppy-seed" found in and on many items such as bagels and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form poppy seed oil. Opium poppy seeds contain negligible amounts of narcotics.


History

The history of the Opium poppy predates written history. The Opium poppy probably originated in the Mediterranean area. Images of Opium poppies have been found in ancient Sumerian artifacts (4000 b.c.). The opium poppy was known to the ancient Greeks from whom it gained its modern name of Opium. Many modern writers, particularly in the 19th century, have written on the Opium poppy and its effects, notably L. Frank Baum with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Thomas DeQuincey 's Confessions of an English Opium Eater .


External links

  • Geopium: Geopolitics of Illicit Drugs in Asia http://www.geopium.org
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55