34 - Papaveraceae
from Division 5 - Magnoliophyta
Summary
Annual or perennial herbs, usually with watery sap or white or yellow latex. Leaves spirally arranged, shallowly pinnately lobed to 2-pinnate; petioles present or absent; without stipules. Inflorescence umbellate or paniculate or with flowers solitary, terminal or axillary; flowers bisexual, hypogynous or rarely perigynous, actinomorphic. Sepals 2(–3), free or fused, normally falling early. Petals 4(–6) or absent, often large and brightly coloured, crumpled at first, normally falling early. Stamens numerous. Style 1, short or absent; stigma large and more or less peltate or capitate, lobed or rayed or more or less divided. Ovary of 2 to many fused carpels, 1(–2)-celled, with (2–)many ovules. Fruit a capsule, dehiscent or not.
Contains about 26 genera and 200 species, cosmopolitan but mainly in temperate and subtropical regions of the southern hemisphere.
Fedde, F. (1909). Papaveraceae – Papaveroideae. In Engler, A. (Edit.), Das Pflanzenreich IV. 102. Leipzig.
Grey-Wilson, C. (1993). Poppies. London.
Flowers numerous, in large panicles; petals absent 8. Macleaya
Flowers solitary or in up to 10-flowered inflorescences; petals conspicuous 2.
Receptacle (hypanthium) raised above base of ovary (flowers perigynous); sepals fused, shed as a hood as the flower opens 7. Eschscholzia
Flowers hypogynous; sepals often adherent, but not fused 3.
Petals deep violet-blue 4. Roemeria
Petals not deep violet-blue 4.
Stigmas with 2 lobes; capsules more than ten times as long as wide 5.
Stigmas with more than 3 lobes or rays; capsules less than six times as long as wide 6.
Flowers more than 30 mm across, 1–2 per leaf-axil; capsules more than 10 cm, 2-celled 5. Glaucium
Flowers less than 30 mm across, mostly in umbels of more than 3; capsules less than 6 cm, 1-celled 6. Chelidonium
Lobes and teeth of leaves each ending in a long weak spine 3. Argemone
Leaves not spiny 7.
Petals white to red or mauve; style absent; stigma a 4-rayed disc 1. Papaver
Petals yellow; style present; stigma (4–)6-lobed 2. Meconopsis
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Flora of Great Britain and Ireland , pp. 233 - 243Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018