P A PAVER; 
35 2 - 
hairs bulbofe at the bafe. Leaves feffile, forming a kind 
of (heath at bottom, hairy on both fkles ; the fegments 
or leaflets unequally toothed or ferrate, each tooth rolled 
back at the edge, callous at top, and terminated by a 
ftnall fpine. Peduncies'long, round, upright, one-flow¬ 
ered, the hairs on it fpreading horizontally; the pe¬ 
tals bright full fcarlet; ftigma convex, with ten or twelve 
rays, of a purple colour; the capfule not globular, as 
Linnaeus terms it, but (haped like an egg with the broad 
end cut off, (or, as Dr. Withering has it, urn-lhaped, and 
nearly as broad as long,) marked with as many raifed 
lines as there are rays to the ftigma; which is flat and 
fcalioped on the edge. Seeds dark purple. The petals 
give out a fine colour when infufed ; and a fyrup prepared 
from this infuiion is kept in the (hops, more for the fake 
of the colour than of any aifive principle the flowers 
poffefs. The fpecies partakes in a fmall degree of the 
fame properties with P. fomniferum. The capfules, as in 
that, contain a milky juice, of a narcotic quality, but the 
quantity is very inconfiderable. An extract from them 
has been fuccel’sfully employed as a fedative ; and fome 
foreign practitioners even prefer this extract to opium. 
Native of every, part of Europe, the Levant, Japan, Sec. 
and much the’molt common with us of any of the fpecies, 
in corn-fields; alfo on dry banks and on walls; in fuch 
fituations varying in its foliage, but (till retaining the 
urn-lhaped capfule, and fpreading hairs. It flowers from 
June to Augult. Being’fo common a weed, it has many 
provincial names in Englifh, beiides its more claflical ones 
of corn-poppy, and red or fcarlet poppy; fuch as corn- 
rofe, cop-rbfe or cup-rofe in Yorkshire, cankeror canker- 
rofe or red-weed in the eaftern counties, head-wark, See. 
( 3 . There is a variety with an oval black Ihining fpotat 
the bafe of each petal, from which many beautiful garden 
varieties originate. Thefe have double flowers, white, red 
bordered with white, and variegated. 
6. Papaver dubium, or long linooth-headed poppy : 
capfules oblong, fmooth ; ftem many-flowered, with brif- 
ties preffed clofe ; leaves doubly pinnatifid. This fpe¬ 
cies refembles the preceding fo much, as often to be mif- 
taken for it. But the capfules of this are long and (len¬ 
der ; the hairs on the peduncle are finer, and prefled up¬ 
wards clofe to it; on the young peduncles theyaffume a 
Ihining filvery-white appearance, which is very beautiful ; 
on the other parts of the plant the hairs fpread out ; the 
(talks and leaves are much paler ; the flowers much fmall- 
er, and lefs intenfely red. Dr. Withering alfo remarks, 
that a ftriflt attention to the proportionate length and 
breadth of the capfule, and to the hairs of the peduncle 
being laid clofe or fpreading, will always diltinguilh this 
fpecies front P. rheeas. According to him, the fegments 
of the leaves are entire, the edges and midribs hairy; rays 
of the ftigma from fix to ten. It is a native of feveral 
parts of Europe. According to Mr. Lightfoot, it is the 
moil common fpecies in North Britain; and in Batterfea- 
fleld, fays Mr. Curtis, where the foil is light, it is nearly 
as common as the rheeas ; nor is it unfrequent on walls. 
About Cambridge, Oxford, Stockwell in Surry, Backing 
in Eflex, See. This, as well as the preceding, is annual. 
/ 3 . Dr. Withering mentions a variety, with the whole 
plant very hairy, figured in Flora Danica, 902. It feems, 
he fays to be an intermediate plant between rheeas and 
dubium, if it be not a diftinft fpecies. The bridles on 
the peduncles are laid clofe, as in the latter, but the leg-’ 
ments of the leaves are very much lnipt at the edges. 
The calyx is ftudded with large tranfparent globules, and 
a taper brittle fprings out of each. The capfule is nearly 
twice as long as it is broad, fo that it is longer than in P. 
rheeas, but iliorter than in P. dubium. It is found about 
Shanklin Chine, and in paftures in various parts of the 
Iile of Wight. The (tern is about two feet high. 
7. Papaver fomniferum, common officinal or garden 
poppy : calyxes and capfules fmooth ; leaves embracing, 
gained. Of this fpecies there are two principal varieties, 
.the white and the black. 4 
a. The common white poppy has the ftslks large, 
fmooth, five or fix feet high, branching. Leaves large, 
greyifh, embracing at the bafe, irregularly jagged on 
their Tides.' Flowers terminating; vvhilft inclofed in the 
calyx hanging down, but before the corolla expands be¬ 
coming ereit : the calyx is compofed of two large oval 
greyifn leaves, that feparate and loon dry off: the corolla 
is compofed of four large roundifh white petals, of fhort 
duration ; and fucceeded by large roundifh heads as big 
as oranges, flatted at top and bottom, and having an in¬ 
dented crown or ftigma. Seeds white. There are feveral 
varieties, differing in the colour and multiplicity of their 
petals, which are preferved in gardens for ornament; but 
that with Angle flowers only is cultivated for ufe. 
( 3 . The common black poppy has (talks about three 
feet high, fmooth, and dividing into feveral branches. 
Leaves large, fmooth, deeply cut or jagged on their edges, 
and embracing. Petals purple with dark bottoms; luc- 
ceeded by oval fmooth capfules filled with black feeds, 
which are fold under the name of maw-feed. There are 
many varieties of this with large double flowers, varie¬ 
gated of feveral colours 5 red and white, purple and 
white, and fome finely fpotted like carnations : there are 
few plants vvhofe flowers are fo handfome; but, having 
an offenfive feent, and being of ftiort duration, they 
are not much regarded. They are both annual, and 
flower in June. 
Linnaeus remarks the fmoothnefs of all the parts in 
this fpecies ; the ftem, leaves, calyx, and capfule. The 
rays of the ftigma are ten, or thereabouts, and the half 
internal divifions as many. The officinal poppy is a 
native of the fouthern parts of Europe ; but probably 
came originally from Afia, where it is cultivated in great 
quantities. 
The general biftory of opium and its virtues has been 
fo judicioufly detailed by Dr. Woodville, in his Medical 
Botany, that we (hall here infert the molt material part of 
that"author’s information. 
Opium, called alfo Opium Thebaicum, from being an¬ 
ciently prepared chiefly at Thebes, has been a celebrated 
medicine from the remote!! times. It differs from meco¬ 
nium,_ which was made by the ancients of the expreffed 
juice or decoition of the poppies. It is imported into 
Europe in flat cakes, covered with leaves to prevent their 
(ticking together: it has a reddifh-brown colour, and a 
(trong peculiar fmell: its tafte, at firft, is naufeous and 
bitter, but loon becomes acrid, and produces a flight 
warmth in the mouth : a watery tinilure of it forms an 
ink, with a chalybeate folution. According to the expe¬ 
riments of Aliton, it appears to confift of about five parts 
in twelve of gummy matter, four of refinous matter, and 
three of earthy or other indifloluble impurities. 
The ufe of this celebrated medicine, though not 
known to Hippocrates, can be clearly traced back to Dia- 
goras, who was nearly his contemporary ; and its impor¬ 
tance has ever ilnce been.gradually advanced. Itsexten- 
five praftical utility however has not long been well un- 
derliood ; and in this country perhaps may be dated from 
the time of Sydenham. Opium is the chief narcotic rtow 
employed : it aits directly upon the nervous power ; di- 
minifning the fenlibility, irritability, and mobility, of the 
fyftem ; fufpending, according to the idea of a late inge¬ 
nious author, the motion of the nervous fluid to and 
from the brain, and thereby inducing deep, one of its 
principal effeits. From this fedative power of opium, by 
which it allays pain, inordinate a it ion-, and reftiefliiefs, it 
naturally follows, that it may be employed with great 
advantage in- a variety of difeafes. Indeed there is fcarcely 
any diforder in which, under fome circumftances, its ufe 
k not found proper ; and, though in many cafes it fails to 
procure fieep, yet, if taken in a full dole, it occafions a 
nleafant tranquillity of mind, and a drowlinefs, ap¬ 
proaching to deep, which always refrefhes the patient. 
But, betides the fedative power, it is alio known to ait 
more or lefs as a ftimulant, exciting the motion of the 
blood ; 
