poppy

poppy
poppylike, adj.
/pop"ee/, n., pl. poppies for 1, 2, 4-7.
1. any plant of the genus Papaver, having showy, usually red flowers. Cf. poppy family.
2. any of several related or similar plants, as the California poppy or the prickly poppy.
3. an extract, as opium, from such a plant.
4. Also called poppy red. an orangish red resembling scarlet.
5. Archit. poppyhead.
6. an artificial flower resembling a poppy, esp. one received as evidence of a contribution to a fund for disabled war veterans.
7. tall poppy, Australian. someone of preeminence or with a large income; important and powerful person.
[bef. 900; ME; OE popaeg, papig VL *papavum, for L papaver]

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(as used in expressions)

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plant
 any of several ornamental flowering plants of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), especially species of the genus Papaver, which have lobed or dissected leaves, milky sap, often nodding buds on solitary stalks, and four- to six-petaled flowers with numerous stamens surrounding the ovary. The two sepals drop off as the petals unfold. The ovary develops into a spherical capsule topped by a disk formed by the stigmas. The many small seeds escape from pores beneath the disk when the capsule is shaken by the wind.

       opium, from which morphine, heroin, codeine, and papaverine are derived, comes from the milky latex in the unripe seed capsule of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), which is native to Turkey. An annual plant, it bears 12.7-centimetre- (5-inch-) wide pink-to-red (purple) or white flowers on plants 1 to 5 m (about 3 to 16 feet) tall, with lobed or toothed silver-green foliage. The opium poppy is also grown for its nonnarcotic ripe seeds, which are used for seasoning, oil, and birdseed. Red-flowered and double and semidouble strains are garden ornamentals.

      About 50 other species of Papaver are grown for their attractive delicate flowers or interestingly cut foliage. The Oriental poppy (P. orientale), native to the Middle East, has 15.2-centimetre scarlet, salmon, pink, white, or red blooms on 1.2-metre-tall, long-lived perennial plants. The white and red or white and pink Shirley poppy is an annual variety developed from the corn poppy (P. rhoeas). The long-headed poppy (P. dubium) is an annual similar to the corn poppy but with narrower, tapering capsules and smaller, paler flowers. The Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule), from Arctic North America, is a short-lived perennial with fragrant white, orange, reddish, or bicoloured 7.6-centimetre flowers that are 30 centimetres tall. The peacock poppy (P. pavoninum), an annual with scarlet petals bearing a dark spot at the base, 2.5-centimetre blooms on 30-centimetre-tall plants, is from Central Asia. The poppy family is well represented in western North America, with at least 13 genera. California is particularly rich in native species. The best known of these is the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), an annual with brilliant orange-coloured flowers, extensively naturalized in California, Australia, and India.

      Other ornamental members of the poppy family include the matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri), with 15.2-centimetre, white, fragrant flowers on a 2.4-metre-tall perennial herbaceous plant, native to southwestern North America; the plume poppies, members of the Oriental genus Macleaya, grown for their giant, interestingly lobed leaves and 2-metre-tall flower spikes; plants of the genus Bocconia, woody, mild-climate shrubs, native to tropical America, prized for their large, cut leaves; the snow poppy (Eomecon chionantha), a perennial from China, with white, cuplike flowers in sprays; and the flaming poppy (Stylomecon heterophylla), a purple-centred, brick-red annual plant from western North America. The genus Meconopsis includes the Welsh poppy.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Poppy — Pop py, n.; pl. {Poppies}. [OE. popy, AS. popig, L. papaver.] (Bot.) Any plant or species of the genus {Papaver}, herbs with showy polypetalous flowers and a milky juice. From one species ({Papaver somniferum}) opium is obtained, though all the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Poppy — steht für : Poppy (Satellit), Codename für eine Serie von US amerikanischen Spionagesatelliten aus den 1960er und 70er Jahren Poppy Lee Friar, britische Schauspielerin Poppy Montgomery (* 1975), australische Schauspielerin Poppy Morgan (*… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • poppy — [päp′ē] n. pl. poppies [ME popi < OE popæg < L papaver] 1. any of a genus (Papaver) of annual and perennial plants of the poppy family, having a milky juice, showy pink, white, red, orange, purple, or yellow flowers, and capsules containing …   English World dictionary

  • Poppy — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Poppy puede referirse a: Poppy Montgomery, actriz australiana. Poppy Z. Brite, escritora estadounidense. Oscar Larrauri (apodado Poppy), automovilista argentino. Obtenido de Poppy Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Poppy — derives from the German personal name Poppo or Boppo . The origin of its meaning are so lost in antiquity as to be obscure. However it is known to have been a pet form of the German name Bodebert meaning Messenger of the Gods and was a well known …   Surnames reference

  • Poppy — (Протарас,Кипр) Категория отеля: Адрес: 209 Palm Apartments, 5296 Протарас, Кипр …   Каталог отелей

  • poppy — O.E. popæg, from W.Gmc. *papua , probably from V.L. *papavum, from L. papaver poppy, perhaps a reduplicated form of imitative root *pap to swell. Associated with battlefields and war dead at least since Waterloo (1815) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Poppy — Pop py, Poppyhead Pop py*head , n. [F. poup[ e]e doll, puppet. See {Puppet}.] (Arch.) A raised ornament frequently having the form of a final. It is generally used on the tops of the upright ends or elbows which terminate seats, etc., in Gothic… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Poppy — f English: from the name of the flower, Old English popæg (ultimately from Latin papāver). It has been used as a given name since the latter years of the 19th century, and reached a peak of popularity in the 1920s …   First names dictionary

  • poppy — ► NOUN ▪ a plant with showy flowers (typically red, pink, or yellow) and large seed capsules, and including species which produce drugs such as opium and codeine. ORIGIN Old English, from Latin papaver …   English terms dictionary

  • Poppy — A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically withone per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups; many species are also… …   Wikipedia

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