РОРРYZhitnaya Ksenia and Delyan Oxana

8 ‘a’School 887

• Poppy is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-

tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia,

Africa and North America. It is the type

genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.

• The flowers have two sepals that fall off as the

bud opens, and four (or up to six) petals in red, pink, orange, yellow, or lilac.

There are many stamens in several whorls around a compound pistil, which

results from the fusion of carpels. The stigmas are

visible on top of the capsule, and the number of stigmas corresponds to the number of fused carpels.

• The ovary later develops into a

dehiscing capsule, capped by the dried

stigmas. The numerous, tiny seeds escape with

the slightest breeze through the pores of

the capsule.

• The typical Poppy gynoecium is hypogenous with a globular ovary. The style is characteristically

absent for the type species Opium Poppy, and several others, although those with a style do exist The sessile plate-like stigmata lies on

top of the ovary

• Poppies have been grown as ornamental plants

since 5000 BC in Mesopotamia. They were found in Egyptian tombs. In Greek mythology, the

poppy was associated with Demeter, goddess of fertility and agriculture.

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