Papaver dubium: 20 seeds of the long-headed poppy
The long-headed poppy is native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia, and by now it turns up on arable land and roadsides well beyond that range. At a glance it passes for the common red poppy, yet side by side the two are easy to separate. Its petals are a lighter red and somewhat shorter, around one and a half to three centimetres, and the dark blotch at the base is usually missing altogether. The clearest marker is the fruit, which is also where the English name comes from: the capsule is hairless, oblong and more than twice as long as it is wide, about one and a half to two centimetres, with seven to nine rays on the disc at the top. Snap a stem and it bleeds a whitish yellow latex.
Plants are annual and reach roughly 20 to 60 centimetres, occasionally more. Flowering runs from late spring into midsummer, after which the seed ripens and shakes out of the capsules on its own. This is an arable species by origin, at home on bare, disturbed ground: field margins, verges, railway banks and ploughed land. In a garden it behaves no differently. It asks for no special care, but it does want sun and soil that drains quickly. Leave enough open ground and it will often sow itself again the following year.
How to sow Papaver dubium
- Sow in early spring or in late summer, somewhere that gets at least half a day of sun.
- Loosen the top few centimetres of soil and clear the weeds, since poppies want an open seedbed.
- Scatter the seed thinly and press it down only; it needs light to germinate, so do not bury it.
- Keep the ground slightly moist until the seedlings are up, then water sparingly.
- Leave a few capsules standing on the plant if you want poppies again next year.
These seeds are intended for cultivation and study. Store the pack dry, dark and out of reach of children.
More exotic seeds at Avalon
At Avalon Magic Plants the long-headed poppy sits among a whole row of poppies: Papaver rhoeas (common poppy), Papaver argemone (prickly poppy), Papaver somniferum and the Lilac Single seeds. The same category also holds Eschscholzia californica, Nelumbo nucifera and Hyoscyamus niger. Every order leaves our warehouse discreetly packed.
