Swimmingdancer
Bluelight Crew
I do not encourage "liberating" poppies from people's yards, farms, etc. But as to the question of how to tell opium poppies from other poppies, there are a number of tips to identify them (I don't believe explaining what a particular plant looks like falls under "substance ID" but please correct me if I'm wrong).
All opium poppies are Papaver somniferum. Where the names get complicated are that there are several varieties, which are sometimes classed as sub-species, and so you may see different names, like Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum Group is sometimes called Papaver paeoniflorum, and Papaver somniferum Laciniatum Group is sometimes called Papaver laciniatum.
The best way to tell an opium poppy from another type of poppy is that opium poppies - Papaver somniferum - are tall, have a bluish/grey tinge to their leaves, are not hairy, and have round smooth pods. Some other poppies will be the same height, but most other types of poppies are hairy, have greener leaves, or have different shaped or sized pods. More detailed info is below.
What an opium poppy looks like:
1. Height: Papaver somniferum are quite tall, usually around 3-5 feet when mature, which is taller than many other poppies.
2. Petals: Papaver somniferum has 4 to 8 petals. The most common colors are white, pink, red and purple (often with a darker spot near the base of each petal). The Paeoniflorum type has frilly double petals that look similar to a peony.
3. Center: Look at the center of the bloom. Papaver somniferum has 8 to 14 long rays on the stigma, which is more than many other poppies. The stigma is the part in the center (on top of the pod) which looks like like rays coming out from the center, ending in points. See photo:
It is extremely rare for there to be a "style" - a sort of stem shape - between the ovary/pod and the stigmatic disc, the disc is almost always sits directly on top of the ovary/pod in Papaver somniferum. (Google image search "parts of a flower" to understand what I mean). *However, this does not mean that all poppies without styles are P. somniferum.
4. Leaves: Papaver somniferum typically have several erect leaves on the stalk that are oblong with toothed edges. Leaves have serrated edges that clasp at the base. Leaves will be often be grey-green or blue-green - although a couple types are just green - and the leaves are larger than most other poppies, they can be up to 6" across. Stalks will not be very hairy, unlike some other types of poppies.
5. Pods: The pods typically range in size between 1" and 1&1/2", which is larger than many other poppies. The pods are quite spherical (as opposed to some other types of poppies) and will have a wide, disc-shaped stigma, the multi-pointed star-like shaped top on top of the round, smooth pod (see above).
6. Seeds: If you break the pod open once dry, opium poppy seeds should be small, oily and have a grey, tan, black or blue colour. If they are blue, then the plant is almost certainly a P. somniferum, *but not all P. sominferum seeds are blue of course.
6. Look at some photos of Papaver somniferum to get a general idea of the different types and what they look like. *Make sure the photos are actually P. somniferum as I have occasionally seen some photos of other types of poppies wrongly labelled online.
Are poppies toxic?
As to whether consuming the latex or tea etc from the wrong type of poppies can harm you, the correct type of poppies can harm you, as it is possible to overdose or be allergic. People have died from overdosing on opium poppy tea. But I assume you are asking if other types of poppies are more toxic than opium poppies or contain toxic alkaloids not found in opium poppies? I know that the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, is poisonous (although it is used medicinally in small amounts by some cultures), but it looks nothing like an opium poppy. I'll see if I can find out some more info on the toxicity of other varieties of poppies, as I think that would be very useful info for people.
Some types of poisonous poppies:
Papaver bracteatum - contains high levels of thebaine, which is a stimulant and can cause convulsions (similar to strychnine poisoning). Thebaine is present in small amounts in opium poppies but P. bracteatum has much higher levels. P. Bracteatum grows to about the same height as P. somniferum. It has 6 petals which are bright red (maybe with a slight orangish tint sometimes) with a black blotch at the base, and black stigma. The stalks, buds and leaves are very hairy, unlike P. somniferum. That is probably the main way to tell them apart.
Papaver nudicaule - causes ataxia and muscle tremors. Contains the benzophenanthidine alkaloid, chelidonine, and other alkaloids. A smaller poppy, it comes in a number of different colours and has hairy stems, usually around 1 foot tall (although some varieties can grow up to 2 feet).
Papaver aculeatum - may cause nitrate/nitrite poisoning. A smaller poppy, it is usually orange and around 1 foot tall (although some varieties can grow up to 2 feet). Has long spiny hairs and a thin elongated pod.
*I will add more to this list if I find more.
All opium poppies are Papaver somniferum. Where the names get complicated are that there are several varieties, which are sometimes classed as sub-species, and so you may see different names, like Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum Group is sometimes called Papaver paeoniflorum, and Papaver somniferum Laciniatum Group is sometimes called Papaver laciniatum.
The best way to tell an opium poppy from another type of poppy is that opium poppies - Papaver somniferum - are tall, have a bluish/grey tinge to their leaves, are not hairy, and have round smooth pods. Some other poppies will be the same height, but most other types of poppies are hairy, have greener leaves, or have different shaped or sized pods. More detailed info is below.
What an opium poppy looks like:
1. Height: Papaver somniferum are quite tall, usually around 3-5 feet when mature, which is taller than many other poppies.
2. Petals: Papaver somniferum has 4 to 8 petals. The most common colors are white, pink, red and purple (often with a darker spot near the base of each petal). The Paeoniflorum type has frilly double petals that look similar to a peony.
3. Center: Look at the center of the bloom. Papaver somniferum has 8 to 14 long rays on the stigma, which is more than many other poppies. The stigma is the part in the center (on top of the pod) which looks like like rays coming out from the center, ending in points. See photo:

It is extremely rare for there to be a "style" - a sort of stem shape - between the ovary/pod and the stigmatic disc, the disc is almost always sits directly on top of the ovary/pod in Papaver somniferum. (Google image search "parts of a flower" to understand what I mean). *However, this does not mean that all poppies without styles are P. somniferum.
4. Leaves: Papaver somniferum typically have several erect leaves on the stalk that are oblong with toothed edges. Leaves have serrated edges that clasp at the base. Leaves will be often be grey-green or blue-green - although a couple types are just green - and the leaves are larger than most other poppies, they can be up to 6" across. Stalks will not be very hairy, unlike some other types of poppies.
5. Pods: The pods typically range in size between 1" and 1&1/2", which is larger than many other poppies. The pods are quite spherical (as opposed to some other types of poppies) and will have a wide, disc-shaped stigma, the multi-pointed star-like shaped top on top of the round, smooth pod (see above).
6. Seeds: If you break the pod open once dry, opium poppy seeds should be small, oily and have a grey, tan, black or blue colour. If they are blue, then the plant is almost certainly a P. somniferum, *but not all P. sominferum seeds are blue of course.
6. Look at some photos of Papaver somniferum to get a general idea of the different types and what they look like. *Make sure the photos are actually P. somniferum as I have occasionally seen some photos of other types of poppies wrongly labelled online.
Are poppies toxic?
As to whether consuming the latex or tea etc from the wrong type of poppies can harm you, the correct type of poppies can harm you, as it is possible to overdose or be allergic. People have died from overdosing on opium poppy tea. But I assume you are asking if other types of poppies are more toxic than opium poppies or contain toxic alkaloids not found in opium poppies? I know that the Mexican prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana, is poisonous (although it is used medicinally in small amounts by some cultures), but it looks nothing like an opium poppy. I'll see if I can find out some more info on the toxicity of other varieties of poppies, as I think that would be very useful info for people.
Some types of poisonous poppies:
Papaver bracteatum - contains high levels of thebaine, which is a stimulant and can cause convulsions (similar to strychnine poisoning). Thebaine is present in small amounts in opium poppies but P. bracteatum has much higher levels. P. Bracteatum grows to about the same height as P. somniferum. It has 6 petals which are bright red (maybe with a slight orangish tint sometimes) with a black blotch at the base, and black stigma. The stalks, buds and leaves are very hairy, unlike P. somniferum. That is probably the main way to tell them apart.
Papaver nudicaule - causes ataxia and muscle tremors. Contains the benzophenanthidine alkaloid, chelidonine, and other alkaloids. A smaller poppy, it comes in a number of different colours and has hairy stems, usually around 1 foot tall (although some varieties can grow up to 2 feet).
Papaver aculeatum - may cause nitrate/nitrite poisoning. A smaller poppy, it is usually orange and around 1 foot tall (although some varieties can grow up to 2 feet). Has long spiny hairs and a thin elongated pod.
*I will add more to this list if I find more.
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