The six varieties of poppy every gardener needs to know

From common poppy and the poum poppy to the bright yellow Welsh poppy, Jack Watkins takes a look at these exquisite natural flowers.

A Poppy field in full bloom, Cornwall.
A Poppy field in full bloom, Cornwall.
(Image credit: Alamy)
Jack Watkins's avatar
By
published
in Features

Don’t take it for granted that, when you see a poppy, it’s always the common species that's one of the gems of the wildflowers of Britain. There are several varieties. Here's how to tell the apart.

Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

The poppy of the Flanders battlefields, arable fields, hedge banks and roadsides, with a hairless, flat-topped seed pod and right-angled hairs on stems.

ommon Poppy - papaver rhoeas

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Long-headed poppy (Papaver dubium)

Paler, smaller flower than the common, with a long and narrow seed capsule. The most common poppy in the North of England.

A long-headed poppy field.
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Prickly poppy (Papaver argemone)

Smaller and rarer than the common one, it likes sandy soils and has long, narrow seedheads that are covered in bristles, with a black spot at the base of each petal.

Prickly Poppy.
(Image credit: Alamy)

Rough poppy (Papaver hybridum)

The rarest of the poppies, with small red petals that carry a black spot at the base. Its seed capsule is globe-shaped and covered in stiff yellow bristles.

Rough poppy, aka Papaver hybridum.
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Has large lilac flowers with a purple blush at the centre. Once cultivated in the UK, but those seen in the wild today are usually garden or field escapees.

A red opium poppy (Papaver somniferum).
(Image credit: Nigel Cattlin / naturepl.com)

Yellow-horned poppy (Glaucium flavum)

Easily spotted at shingly seaside locations, with big yellow flowers and waxy leaves. Grows up to 3ft. Can also grow on sand and clifftops.

Yellow horned poppy (Glaucium flavum).
(Image credit: Simon Colmer / naturepl.com)

Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica)

Yellow-flowered plant of damp, shaded woods, hedges and rocky places in Wales and South-West England. First identified by Carl Linnaeus in Wales, hence its name.

Welsh Poppy.
(Image credit: Alamy)

Living National Treasure - Poppy maker

Poppy maker, Wish Lloyd, production operator at the Royal British Legiona's Poppy Factory n Richmond, London, where remembrance poppies are made. It was founded in 1922 to offer employment opportunities to wounded soldiers returning from the First World War, creating remembrance products for the Royal Family and The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal. It provides employment support to disabled veterans across England and Wales. The factory makes approximately 36 million poppies each year. Pictures by Richard Cannon on Thursday 13th September 2018. Picture published in the 31.10.2018 issue of CLF magazine.
(Image credit: Richard Cannon/Country Life Pict)

The poppy maker: ‘I was very weak, very emotional and in a bad place when I started, but I’m back to my old self again now’

Wish Lloyd battled a traumatic childhood, the army, an athletics injury and homelessness to find his place at the Poppy

Jack Watkins
Jack Watkins

Somerset born, Sussex raised, with a view of the South Downs from his bedroom window, Jack's first freelance article was on the ailing West Pier for The Telegraph. It's  been downhill ever since. Never seen without the Racing Post (print version, thank you), he's written for The Independent and The Guardian, as well as for the farming press. He's also your man if you need a line on Bill Haley, vintage rock and soul, ghosts or Lost London.

Latest