80 FAMILIAR WILD FLO WEES. 



unfrequently met with in cornfields ; it bears a strong- 

 general resemblance to the common scarlet poppy, but is 

 altogether smaller in its parts, and the flowers are not 

 so deep a scarlet in colour. The capsule, though very 

 similar in form to that of the prickly-headed poppy, is with- 

 out the characteristic bristles, and the petals are much 

 broader in proportion to their length than in that species. 



The only plant remaining to be noticed is the P. 

 somniferum, or white poppy. The petals, though ordinarily 

 white, with a purple spot at their base, vary a good deal, 

 and are often found of various shades of violet and red. It 

 is the species that produces the poppy -heads and opium of 

 the pharmacopeia. Though in the first place an escape 

 from cultivation, it appears in several districts of England 

 to have thoroughly established itself. 



