Glaucium flavum, the yellow horned poppy,[2]yellow hornpoppy or sea poppy, is a summer flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is native to Europe, Northern Africa, Macaronesia and temperate zones in Western Asia. The plant grows on the seashore and is never found inland. All parts of the plant, including the seeds, are toxic. It is classed as a noxious weed in some areas of North America, where it is an introduced species. It is grown in gardens as a short-lived perennial but usually grown as a biennial.
Description
It has thick, leathery deeply segmented, wavy, bluish-grey leaves, which are coated in a layer of water-retaining wax. The sepal, petals and stamen have a similar structure and form to the red poppy (Papaver rhoeas), except the sepals are not hairy.[3] It grows up to 30–90 cm (1–3 ft) tall,[4] on branched, grey stems. It blooms in summer,[5] between June and October.[4][6] It has bright yellow or orange flowers,[5] that are 7.5 cm (3 in) across.[4] Later, it produces a very long, upright,[5] thin,[4] distinctive horn shaped capsule, which is 15–30 cm (6–12 in) long. It is divided into two chambers,[3] which split open to reveal the seeds.[4]
Taxonomy
It was first published and described by Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz in 'Stirp. Austr. Fasc.' (Stirpium Austriarum) vol.2 on page 133 in 1763.[7][1][8] The species epithetflavum is Latin for yellow and indicates its flower colour.[9]
It is commonly known as sea-poppy,[10]horned-poppy, and yellow horned-poppy.[5][11]
It grows in coastal habitats on shingle banks and beaches,[6][13] but can also be found on cliff tops and in sand dunes.[4]
Toxicity
It produces an orange foul-smelling sap, if cut open.[4] All parts of the plant, including the seeds, are toxic, and can cause a wide range of symptoms if eaten,[4] and respiratory failure, resulting in death.[14]
Culture
It is referenced in various poems.
A poppy grows upon the shore,
Bursts her twin cups in summer late:
Her leaves are glaucus-green and hoar,
Her petals yellow, delicate.
She has no lovers like the red,
That dances with the noble corn:
Her blossoms on the waves are shed,
Where she stands shivering and forlorn.
In the past, it was known in Hampshire, UK, as 'squatmore', and the roots were used to treat bruises,[4] and pains in the breast, stomach and intestines.[10]
^Rovinskiĭ VI (September 1989). "A case of hallucinogen-like action of glaucine. (Russian)". Klinicheskaia Meditsina (Mosk). 67 (9): 107–8. PMID2586025.
^Rovinskiĭ VI (2006). "Acute glaucine syndrome in the physician's practice: the clinical picture and potential danger. (Russian)". Klinicheskaia Meditsina (Mosk). 84 (11): 68–70. PMID17243616.
^Dargan PI, Button J, Hawkins L, Archer JR, Ovaska H, Lidder S, Ramsey J, Holt DW, Wood DM (May 2008). "Detection of the pharmaceutical agent glaucine as a recreational drug". European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 64 (5): 553–4. doi:10.1007/s00228-007-0451-9. PMID18204834. S2CID21348503.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)