Golden Poppy (Papaver Rhoeas)   Poppy is the state flower of California. Buy state flowers

Poppies were found in Egyptian tombs dating back 3,000 years. According to the Romans the poppy could heal a love wound and they used it for witchcraft. The ancient Greeks used poppies as a love charm and thought that they were a sign of fertility and brought health and strength so Greek atheletes were given mixtures of poppy seeds, honey, and wine. According to Greek legend, the poppy was created by Somnus, the god of sleep, to help Ceres, the corn goddess, who was exhausted by the search for her lost daughter that she couldn't make the corn grow. The poppies soothed her to sleep, and when she rested, the corn grew again, giving rise to the belief that the presence of poppies was essential to grow corn. Another story about the poppy tells us that a bad witch had transformed a woman into a poppy. From that day on the woman lived on the field with the other poppies and was allowed to visit her family only at night time. One night the woman told her husband that if the next day he will pick her poppy the spell will be broken. In the morning the man went to the field and saw hundreds of poppies there, all looking alike. After looking at each of them, the man knew which one was his wife because that poppy was the only one not wet by the morning dew, since the woman had spent her night at home. When he picked that poppy the spell was broken and they lived happily ever after. Oriental poppies contain opium, which has been cultivated in India for centuries. The plant has many healing qualites apart from that of narcotics. Morphine and Codeine are two familiar drugs made from the poppy. The corn poppy does not contain opium. In New Zealand the term Tall Poppy is used to describe people who stand out above all others. The Welsh Poppy is yellow. Corn Rose was the name given in Roman times to the wild Poppy, which was often found growing in fields of corn. Smoke of the Earth is the name given in the Middle Ages to the Poppy. The smoke of the burning plant was said to cast out evil spirits. Poppies are often worn in memory of those lost at war. ********

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