NAT. ORDER 



Papaveracece. 



PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM. WHITE POPPY. 



Class XIII. PoLYANDRiA. Order I. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char Corolla, four-petalled. Calyx, two-leaved. Capsule, 



one-celled, opening by pores, under the persistent stigma. 

 Spe. Char. Calyces and Capsules, smooth. Leaves, incised, and 



embracing the stem. 



The root is annual, tapering and branched ; the stalk is round, 

 smooth, erect, often branched, of a glaucous green color, and rises 

 two or three feet in height ; the leaves are alternate, large, ovate, 

 lobed, smooth, deeply cut into various segments, and closely em- 

 brace the stalk ; the Jlowers are very large, terminal, and usually 

 white or purplish ; the calyx consists of two leaves, which are 

 ovate, smooth, concave, bifid, and fall off on the opening of the 

 flower ; the corolla consists of four petals, which are large, round- 

 ish, entire, undulated ; \\\ejilaments are numerous, slender, much 

 shorter than the corolla, and furnished with oblong, erect, com- 

 pressed anthers ; the germen is large, globular, and upon it is 

 placed the stigma, which is large, flat, radiated, and forms a kind 

 of crown ; the capsule is one-celled, smooth, divided half way into 

 many cells, which open by several apertures beneath the crown, 

 and contain a very large number of small white seeds. It is a 

 native of Asia, and is found wild in the south of Europe, where 

 the seed had probably been accidentally scattered. It is also cul- 

 tivated in many parts of England. 



Vci. ii.— n3 



