PAPAVERACE^. 



Of the Sub-Order, Podophyllea, Lindl. Nat. Syst. p. 7, only one 

 species has been found in India, viz. Podophyllum Emodi, Wall, in 

 Sirmore and Gossainthan. 



ORDER II.— PAPAVERACEtE, Juss.— Lindl. Nat. Syst. p. 7. 



THE POPPY TRIBE. 



Annual or perennial herbs, rarely under-shrubs, with a milky juice. 

 T\ie total amount of species is about SQ, of which 28 have been found in 

 Europe ; 7 in the Levant ; 9 in N. America ; 5 in Mexico ; 5 in India ; 3 in 

 Persia; 2 in Siberia; 2 in N. Africa; 3 in China and Japan; 1 in N. 

 Holland ; and 1 in S. Africa. Most of them are annuals, 21 perennials and 

 chiefly mountainous, and 2 shrubby. — Of the five Indian species, two 

 belong to Papaver, and three to Meconopsis. One of the latter, M. nepa- 

 lensis, DC, especially its root, is according to D. Don. {Pr.fl. nep. p. 98), 

 very poisonous. — The medicinal properties of the juice of the poppy (opium) 

 are well known, and their narcotic character is more or less traced through- 

 out the whole order. The Sanguinaria canadensis, L, is, however, given 

 in large doses, emetic and purgative, and, in smaller ones, stimulant, su- 

 dorific,, and expectorant. (Bartons coll. mat. med. \. p. 37.) 

 Papaver, L. (DC. pr. I, p. 117; — W. and A. pr. I, p. 17.) Poppy. 



1. hybridum, L. (DC. I. c. p. 118;— E. B. 1, t. 43.) © W. and S. of 

 Europe. Fl. largish, deep red. — Febr. and March ; fr. April. 



2. Argemone, L. (DC. I. c.,—E. B. 9. t. 643.) Europe. Fl. largish, 

 scarlet, — Febr. and March ; fr. April. 



3. duhium, L. (DC. I. c.—E. B. 9, t. 644.) © Europe. Fl. large, 

 palish scarlet. — Febr. and March ; fr. April. 



4. Rhoeas, L. (DC. I. c.,—E. B. 9, t. 645 ;— 7. Grah. Cat. B. pi. p. 6.) 

 © T. Europe, Fl. large, scarlet, — Febr. and March ; fr. April. 



5. somni/erum, L. (DC. I. c. p. 119.) Opium-Poppy. © Morea, Egypt, 

 hotter parts of Asia. Fl. large, — Febr. and March ; fr. April and 

 May. 



a. nigrum. Fl. purplish. Seeds black. 



p. album. Fl. and seeds white. (Papaver somniferum, E. B. 30, t. 

 2145; — Roxb. fl, ind. 2, p. 571; — IV. and A. pr. 1, p. 17; — J. 

 Grah. Cat. B. pi. p. 6.) d^lt^ Posto. — Extensively cultivated in 

 India. The Juice expressed from the seeds, held to be very useful in 

 chronic diarrhoea. (Dr. Gibson.) Their oil pure, sweet, for culinary 

 purposes almost as good as olive oil. 



Several varieties of a and p occur in our gardens, f. ex. fimbriato- 

 rubrum, album and nigrum ; pleno-rubrum ; purpureum ; pleno-album, 

 &c. 



