Description
Glaucium – Horned Poppy – Sea Poppy –
There are about 25 species of erect, often rosette forming, annuals, biennials, and short lived perennials, in this genus. They are disturbed or waste ground in Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Central and Southwestern Asia. They have pinnatifid, hairless to softly hairy, narrowly ovate to nearly rounded, glaucous leaves with large terminal lobes and orange yellow sap. Showy, solitary, terminal and axillary, poppy like, paper thin, yellow, red, or white flowers are borne mainly in summer, are followed by 12″ long, curved, decorative seed heads that rapidly elongates. Grow in a border, gravel garden, or in seaside plantings. Roots are toxic if ingested.
Grow in poor to moderately fertile, well drained soil in full sun. They resent disturbance.
G. corniculatum – G. phoenicium – Red Horned Poppy – This rosette forming, slightly hairy biennial or short lived perennial from Europe and Southwestern Asia grows 12-18″ tall and wide. It produces pinnatifid, glaucous, silver-gray leaves, 6-12″ long. From summer to early autumn it bears red to orange flowers, to 2″ across, usually with a black spot at the base of each petals, held among the foliage, not above it.
Zones 6-9
