Raspberry Breadseed Poppy, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

This poppy re-seeded itself from the specimen I planted last year. The grower, Annie’s Annuals, sold it as a “raspberry breadseed poppy.”

I asked Annie’s whether this interesting name was “for real.” What was the Latin name for the poppy?

Here’s the response:

It is Papaver somniferum, also known as opium poppy. We don’t want to give customers any ideas (it is quite illegal to grow opium poppies for opium purposes, but we have been assured that it is OK that people grow a few for ornamental purposes), so we don’t call it that.

What do you know? I had an opium poppy in my garden all along and never knew it. How cool.

As you can see, the flower–by whatever name–is very beautiful. Here are a few more photos:

View this photo larger.

View this photo larger.

Besides being beautiful, each flower is also very ephemeral (although the plant does seem to re-seed nicely). By the evening of the day I photographed this flower, here’s all that was left:

View this photo larger.