Papaver macrostomum

Papaver macrostomum Boiss. & A.Huet, Diagn. Pl. Orient. II, 5: 15 1856. (syn: Papaver divergens Fedde & Bornm.; Papaver floribundum Desf.; Papaver kurdistanicum Fedde);

Turkey (E-Anatolia, Inner Anatolia, NE-Anatolia, SSW-Anatolia), Iran (EC-Iran, E-Iran, N-Iran, Iranian Aserbaijan, S-Iran, W-Iran), Iraq (NE-Iraq, NW-Iraq, SE-Iraq), ?Kuwait, ?Saudi Arabia (?NE-Saudi Arabia), Sinai peninsula (N-Sinai), Syria (C-Syrian Desert), E-European Russia, Northern Caucasus, Armenia, Georgia [Caucasus], ?Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Jammu & Kashmir (Kashmir, Srinagar), India (Himachal Pradesh), Pakistan (Baluchistan, Pakistani Punjab, Hazara) as per Catalogue of Life;

Common name: Large-Mouth Poppy

Annual erect herbs, about 15-45 cm tall. Stem simple or branched, cauliramous with scattered bristle hairs, except on the peduncle which is appressed hirsute. Leaves pinnatisect, pinnatifid or deeply incised, about 4-10 x 2-4 cm across, oblong-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate in outline, margin sparsely coarsely serrate-dentate, acute segments ending with a bristle, apex acute, leaf glabrous or sparsely pubescent above, sparsely pubescent beneath, lower leaves petiolate, upper leaves towards the shoot becoming sessile gradually. Peduncles stout, robust, appressedly bristly hairy. Flowers bisexual, axillary or terminal, about 4-6 cm across, brick red, scarlet red, flower buds ovate-oblong, apex obtuse or rounded, hairy, about 1-2.5 x 0.5-1 cm across, sepals 2, free, deciduous, ovate-orbicular, caducous, hairy, petals 4, obovate-orbicular, scarlet red, brick red, about 2-3 cm long. Stamens numerous, about 10 mm long, filaments filiform, slender, black, connective with a capitates apical appendage, anthers broadly ellipsoid, about 1-1.5 mm long. Ovary ovoid, unilocular, superior, ovules numerous. Fruits capsules, oblong-globular or tubulose, narrow at the base gradually broader towards apex, glabrous, faintly ribbed or smooth, about 10-20 x 4-10 mm across, stigmatic rays 5-10, very dissected, disc teeth carinate, curved at the edges, dehiscing by subapical pores or persistent disc. Seeds many, bean shaped, dark brown, reniform, reticulate, about 1 mm across.

Open fields and grasslands of Northwestern Himalayas, altitude 1500-3000 m.

(Attributions- Ganeshaiah, K. N., UAS, Bangalore, India.; Kailash, B. R., ATREE, Bangalore, India.; Royal Norwegian Embassy grants. Indian Bioresource Information Network (IBIN), Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi as per India Biodiversity Portal)

Papaver macrostomum Boiss. & Huet ex Boiss. from Kashmir: 4 images.

Papaver macrostomum Boiss. & Huet ex Boiss., Fl. Or. 1:115. 1867

Annual weed common in wheat and mustard fields in Kashmir in spring, looking similar to Papaver rhoeas and P. dubium but easily distinguished by elongated capsule, deeply dissected marginal stigmatic lobes which are distinctly keeled and drooping down the upper margin of capsule with 5-10 rays, as also the peduncle is appressed hairy. In P. rhoeas capsules are subglobose, rays always more than eight, shallowly lobed and hardly reaching the edge of capsule. P. dubium also has capsule elongated and similar in shape to P. macrostomum, fewer rays usually 6-9, but shallowly lobed and not reaching the edge of capsule.

In childhood days we used to crush the petals to make a paste and spread it on our palms, dust fine soil over it, make designs with capsule tip, allow it to dry for some time, remove the soil to have excellent mehndi-like design.

many years ago i had found similar red poppies in wheat fild in UK in middle of summer.. not digital age then… do not remember what I did with the prints though…

wonder if it is the same species all over the world in the wheat fields…