poppy

upright=1.2|thumb|Poppies on Lake Geneva, [[Montreux]] A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the source of the narcotic drug mixture opium, which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as an analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drug. It also produces edible seeds. Following the trench warfare in the poppy fields of Flanders, Belgium, during World War I, poppies, specifically the red poppy, have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime, especially in the UK, Canada, Australia, Africa and other Commonwealth realms.

==Description== thumb|A close-up of a red-flowered poppy|alt=A close-up of a bright red poppy flower alt=Wild poppy in Behbahan|thumb|Wild poppy in Behbahan County|Behbahan alt=Wild poppy in Mazandaran, Iran|thumb|Wild poppy in Harrietsham, [[Kent, England]] Poppies are herbaceous annual, biennial or short-lived perennial plants. Some species are monocarpic, dying after flowering.