Common ornamental and medicinal poppy having flowers in many colors, from white to yellow, red, and purple, with various shades and combinations. The Breadseed Poppy is a hardy annual, surviving cool and frosty temperatures, but also growing well in warm humid areas. Plants are sensitive to freezes and blooming flowers sensitive to frost. Grow as an annual, although plants will overwinter in warmer areas and bloom during the following spring and summer. Grow in full sun. Plants usually grow to 2-3ft. Some strains have high alkaloid content and can be processed into various drugs, many other strains, including most ornamental horticulture strains contain only trace amounts of alkaloids. This species also yields the poppy seed that is used in baking.
Origin: Native to Southeastern Europe and Western Asia.