Sunday, August 23, 2009

POPPY




Family
Papaveraceae
Plant Description
Erect annual with milky juice; leaves alternate, simple, clasping, toothed; flowers terminal, with 5-more showy petals (white, pink, red, or purple); fruit a capsule with an expanded disc at the top and over small holes through which the minute seeds are dispersed.
Origin
Europe.
Distribution
Illegally planted, sometimes persisting in old gardens.
Where Found
In landscape occasionally in flower garden, it is illegal to cultivate opium poppy. The garden poppies are a different species and may or may not contain opium alkaloids.
Mode
Ingestion.
Poisonous Part
Dried milky sap from all parts, but mainly fruits.
Symptoms
Stupor, coma, shallow and slow breathing, respiratory and circulatory depression.
Edibility
EDIBLE PARTS: Poppy seeds used as topping of breads are safe.
Toxic Principle
Alkaloids, morphine and others.
Severity
HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN!

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