Photo: Christian Orlandi · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
| Scientific name | Papaver orientale |
|---|---|
| Genus | Papaver |
| Origin | Turkey, Iran, Caucasus |
| Family | Papaveraceae |
| Region | East Asia |
Papaver orientale, the Oriental poppy, is a perennial flowering plant native to the Caucasus, northeastern Turkey, and northern Iran. Oriental poppies grow a mound of leaves that are hairy and finely dissected in spring. They gather energy and bloom in mid-summer. After flowering, the foliage dies away entirely, a property that allows their survival in the summer drought of Central Asia. Gardeners can place late-developing plants nearby to fill the developing gap.