ANSWERS : Outside

What is this flower, please?

This single flower grew in my garden completely at random. I was so in love with the 'pom-pom' flower heads that I let it go to seed and planted hundreds of its seeds earlier this year. I have around 150-200 of the plants dotted around my gardens now to see where it thrives best. I have looked many times over this past year to identify the plant to no luck - can you help, please? I am in the the north of the UK, and this appears to flower in August time although I had only one early developer. The photo shows the plant in all its stages of flower, seeding and seed-bulbs. The flower itself lasts only a few days and had no scent. Many thanks! ;-)

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Jayefuu says: Aug 1, 2011. 3:00 PM

The leaves and seed heads in the picture are 100% a poppy. The pink flowers in the picture look like no poppy I've seen, but I know that they have all kinds of fancy varieties so it's not unlikely that I've not seen that particular flower shape.

Jayefuu in reply to JayefuuAug 1, 2011. 3:05 PM

It looks a little like this one:

http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/687667/pink-poppy/

lizzyastro in reply to JayefuuAug 1, 2011. 3:08 PM

+1 for observation

Papaver Somniferum aka Opium poppy

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/page10pop.htm

Lizzy

Jayefuu in reply to JayefuuAug 1, 2011. 3:08 PM

Got it... I think it's Papaver Somniferum, a type of poppy

Image source: here

Jayefuu in reply to lizzyastroAug 1, 2011. 3:20 PM

Ooooo wikipedia says:

"Papaver somniferum Laciniatum" or sometimes "Papaver Laciniatum", "is a sub-type of opium poppy whose flowers are highly double and deeply lobed, to the point of looking like a ruffly pompon"

Gosh we're good.

orksecurity in reply to JayefuuAug 1, 2011. 6:18 PM

Yep, you are. Well done!

("Poppies... Poppies will put her to sleep...!")

The Ideanator says: Aug 1, 2011. 3:04 PM

Send a sample into your local university for DNA testing, students need a challenge.

kevinhannan (author) in reply to The IdeanatorAug 1, 2011. 10:01 PM

Really?

I'm happy to post seeds to anyone that asks for them ;-)

eagleflyingoverhead1111 in reply to kevinhannanMar 13, 2012. 7:22 AM

Hi! kevinhannana
I would love some of your seeds! do you have any left?

tjlavelle says: Jan 17, 2012. 12:44 AM

poppy

darkmf666 says: Sep 15, 2011. 12:04 PM

i actually believe it is the Papaver rhoeas instead of the somniferum kind.
the somniferum contains opiates. this one will most probably will not.

MissDaisy says: Aug 17, 2011. 3:32 PM

Hi All, Just found and registered to this great site :) About the poppy... it's also known as "peony poppy". And others call them "confetti poppies". I have load and loads of them. If you let them go to seed without harvesting them, the wind will blow the seeds all over the place, and eventually, it will drive you NUTS!!!!!! I can't tell you how many I've been yanking this year. Here is a picture of mine this year... and that is only in one spot. When they are ready to harvest. It's like a salt shaker. There are little holes at the top. Each head contains about 100 seeds... that's how many you will have the following year. Remember I said... "each head". Even when the heads are not totally brown, I harvest them cause I know a gush of wind will carry them everywhere... arggggg. Hope this helps.

kevinhannan (author) in reply to MissDaisyAug 17, 2011. 9:49 PM

Hello MissDaisy!

Thank you for your wonderful reply and photo!

You'd be right in how prolific it is!

Try opening a seed pod over a bowl or something to catch the seeds and you'll see there's easily 100's of seed in each chamber of the pod and there's about 8-12 chambers per pod! I got hundreds of flowers from just the one seed pod from last year.

I love the plant and I love the carpet of pink petals it gives, plus it covers up my hideous garden! But I'll be taking your advice to be pulling up most of them before they seed and keep just a few seed pods to roll over for the following year.

Thanks again for telling us the alternative names - I've been looking silly calling it pom-pom flowers!

Welcome to the site, I hope you enjoy your stay! There's lots of wonderfully knowledgeable people like yourself here!

MzTfying says: Aug 15, 2011. 9:17 PM

poppy

elmore says: Aug 11, 2011. 11:44 PM

Jayefuu wow you give that correct answer,. hehe. At first when I saw the picture first come in my mind is.. this flower looks like thesame in plants vs. Zoombie..
hehe-- I'm happy to know it.

PeWaul says: Aug 2, 2011. 8:14 PM

Love this plant. I had some Poppies that I got from a grocery store and they looked like this right before they bit the big one. otherwise they were a 5 petaled flower, very simple and always looked like it had just rolled out of bed because all the petals were crinkled.

Loved my poppies cannot wait for the heat to break so i can grow more

glad you found your answer. 8D

kevinhannan (author) says: Aug 1, 2011. 10:03 PM

Thanks everybody, especially Jayfuu, lizzy and ork - I think you are amazing guys. It's taken me a year to get this and I would *never* have thought a poppy.

I am so delighted, thanks guys. As I offered elsewhere, if you want some seeds pop me a pm. ;-)

Major thanks and kudos to everyone, I'm very sorry there can only be one best answer, as I'd love to give three to those named above. :(