POPPIES. 
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yellow, orange, &c., to tlie deepest crimson. The 
individual blossoms are large and of the most delicate 
texture, and are free from the black blotch at the base 
which characterises the blossoms of the common Corn 
Poppy (P. llhxas ) from which they have been evolved. 
The French Poppies with double flowers are also 
a beautiful race from the common Poppy. The 
Opium Poppy (P. somniferum), which grows 3 to 4 
feet high, although there are dwarfer forms, has broad 
lobed and wavy leaves and flowers of various colours, 
such as white, rose, lilac, &c., and usually with a dark 
blotch at the base of the fringed petals. The double 
forms or Peeony-flowered Poppies are varieties of 
the Opium Poppy, and many of them are exceedingly 
handsome. The Danebrog Poppy is also a variety. 
The Peacock Poppy (P. pavoninum), with scarlet and 
black blotched petals ; the Tulip Poppy (P. glaucum), 
scarlet red tinged with orange ; P. Ilookeri from India, 
and P. Ixvigatnm, both resembling the wild Corn 
Poppy in blossom, and P. setigerum with violet 
flowers, may all be raised from seeds in the same way 
as the Shirley and Opium varieties. 
Amongst the perennial Poppies, the Iceland (P. 
nudicaule ) and the Oriental (P. orientale ) are first 
favourites. The first-named grows 9 to 18 inches 
high and is usually treated as an annual, being raised 
from seeds in gentle heat about March, so as to pro- 
duce its showy white, yellow or orange blossoms in 
summer. (Plate 1.) Closely related to the Iceland 
Poppy is P. croceum, with single and double orange- 
yellow flowers. The Oriental Poppy (Plate 8) is about 
3 feet high and may be raised from seeds. They 
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