Poppies 83 
great, and, coupled with the different-coloured petals 
and sap, might be held to indicate separate origin ; but 
even in the seven species that alone represent the 
entire family im our flora, the intermediate stages 
are so well suggested that no difficulty is raised. 
Even the importance of the different colours of the 
juice is minimised by the occurrence of a sub-species 
of P. dubiwm, whose white juice turns yellow on 
exposure to the air. The four red Poppies are annuals; 
the Horned Poppy is usually annual, sometimes 
biennial; the Welsh Poppy and Greater Celandine 
are both perennial. None of the species appears to 
produce honey, insects being attracted by the showy 
petals and coming for pollen alone; alighting on the 
convenient stigmas, and easily reaching the anthers, 
they easily effect self-fertilisation, but no doubt crosses 
are very frequent. Flowers of this open character 
are not specialised for fertilisation by any particular 
species or family of insects; they are visited by 
beetles, flies, and bees indiscriminately. 
