THE POPPY FAMILY. 83 



Papaveraceae. 



The Poppy Family. 



This order contains 160 species of 24 genera in 

 3 tribes. 



The members of this family are characterized by- 

 having a milky white, yellow, or red juice ; that of 

 the poppy when hardened forms the opium of commerce, 

 which yields useful drugs, especially for sleeping 

 draughts. 



Papa'ver aculea'tum. — This is the only South African 

 plant of this order. It occurs in sandy ground near 

 rivers in the north and east districts. One called 

 Fccpa'ver Jior'ridicm in Australia appears to be nearly 

 the same. It has orange -scarlet coloured flowers. 



The illustration (Fig. 29) explains the structure cf 

 the flower of a Poppy as follows : All poppies have 

 only two sepals (1), which fall off as the bud opens, 

 and are therefore said to be fugaceous, i.e. " flying off." 

 The petals are corrugated or crumpled up in the bud in 

 consequence of their developing a little too fast within 

 it. The stamens are very numerous (A). The pistil 

 consists of a variable number of carpels coherent by 

 their edges, each to each, so they make a single chamber 

 (3), while outgrowths from the placentas, which are 

 parietal, being on the wall,^ project like erect plates, 



* Latin paries^ a " party-wall.'* 



