Papaver dubium L.

Papaver species are erect, annual, biennial or perennial herbs, with milky white, yellowish or orange fluid. Stem simple bristly or rarely glabrous. Leaves mostly pinnatipartite, pinnatifid, pinnatilobed, basal leaves petioled, cauline ones sessile, margin incised, dentate or serrate rarely entire, bristly or glabrous. Inflorescence panicle, raceme, adpressed setose. Flowers bisexual, solitary on long pedicels or on scapose stems, ebracteate, buds subglobose to ovoid, Sepals 2 rarely 3, free, deciduous, ovate-orbicular, early caducous, petals 4 sometimes 6, obovate, slightly clawed or not, red, orange, yellow, white or purplish. Stamens numerous, filaments filiform or dilated, anthers linear or oblong. Ovary ovoid, unilocular, superior, glabrous or setose, ovules numerous, stigmas 4-20, on disc crenate margin to deeply dissected, stigmatic rays opposite to placentas. Fruits capsules, globular, cylindric to subcylindric, ellipsoid-obovoid, dehiscing by subapical pores or persistent disc. Seeds many, bean shaped, reticulate-alveolate, reniform, black, brown, gray or white, albumin fleshy, rich in oil.

Papaver species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: April-June/June-August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., dispersal by wind, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect annual herbs, subscapose or caulescent, bristly or hirsute, sometimes nearly glabrous, about 15-40 cm tall. Stem simple or branched, softly and densely bristly or rarely glabrous. Leaves pinnatisect, pinnatipartite and pinnatifid about 2-10 x 2-3 cm across, basal leaves pinnatisect, ovate-oblong in outline, margin ciliate, dentate, apex obtuse to acute, upper leaves pinnatifid, lanceolate or oblong-linear in outline, margin dentate or entire, segments about 5-10 wide, apex with bristle tip. Inflorescence raceme with about 2-5 flowers, peduncles erect, slightly narrower than the base of the capsule, with bristly appressed hairs, about 5-32 cm long, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, axillary or terminal, about 4-6 cm across, brick red, orange, buds elliptic-ovoid, somewhat cup shaped at apex, with silky bristles, Sepals 2, free, deciduous, ovate-orbicular, early caducous, glabrous or bristly, petals 4, ovate-obovate, not overlapping, red, brick red, about 2.5-3 x 3-3.6 cm across. Stamens few to many, about 10 mm long, filaments filiform, slender, anthers elliptic, about 1 mm long. Ovary ovoid, unilocular, superior, glabrous, about 10 mm long, ovules numerous, stigmatic rays disc yellow, opposite to placentas, about 6-8. Fruits capsules, oblong-globular, glabrous, sessile, cylindrical, about 10-20 x 3-8 mm across, dehiscing by subapical pores or persistent disc. Seeds many, bean shaped, reniform, purplish black, about 0.6 mm across, rich in oil.

Papaver species are susceptible to insect pests, moulds and rusts.

Rocky slopes and grasslands of Northwestern Himalayas, altitude 1000-3000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in folk medicine, cultivated as ornamental.