Papaver bracteatum

Papaver bracteatum

The Iranian poppy or Persian poppy or Great scarlet poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl.) is a herbaceous species belonging to the Papaveraceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Subkingdom Tracheobionta,
Spermatophyta superdivision,
Magnoliophyta division,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Subclass Magnoliidae,
papaveral order,
Papaveraceae family,
Subfamily Papaveroideae,
Papavereae tribe,
P. bracteatum species.
The terms are synonyms:
– Calomecon bracteatum (Lindl.) Spach;
– Papaver lasiocalyx Fedde;
– Papaver lasiocalyx Fedde ex Bornm.;
– Papaver orientale M.Bieb.;
– Papaver pulcherrimum Fisch.;
– Papaver pulcherrimum Fisch. ex Steud..

Etymology –
The term Papaver is a word related to the Arabic papámbele and to the Sanskrit papavara pernicious juice; according to some, of Celtic derivation, connected to the custom of putting the seeds in the pappa (papa) of children to make them sleep.
The specific epithet bracteatum comes from the botanical Latin bractea bractea, equipped with bracts which are modified (hypsophyllous) and very reduced leaves, placed near or below flowers or inflorescences with different functions: protective, banner-bearing, nectariferous, disseminator.
Depending on the function they are called upon to perform, they take on different shapes, textures and colours.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Papaver bracteatum is a herbaceous plant native to the Caucasus, northern Iran, eastern Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Its natural habitat is that of rocky slopes and in grassy meadows, even at high altitudes between 2,000-2,500 m. a.s.l..

Description –
Papaver bracteatum is a herbaceous species that can grow up to 1.2 meters in height. It is a hardy hardy perennial poppy.
The leaves are finely feathery gray-green.
The foliage turns yellow and dies shortly after flowering. It produces new basal leaves that appear in autumn and overwinter until spring, when the foliage undergoes an acceleration of growth until flowering.
The flowers are dark crimson in color and are large with a diameter of even more than 10 cm (up to 20). The petals often have a purple-black spot at the base and bloom from May to June atop stiff, tall flowering stems.
The flowers are held above an upright tuft of sharply dissected, wiry basal foliage.

Cultivation –
Papaver bracteatum is a plant that mostly grows spontaneously but is cultivated to produce thebaine.
It is closely related to the commonly grown oriental poppy, Papaver orientale and is sometimes recorded as the varietal form Papaver orientale var. bracteatum.
It is a rustic plant that can be grown on various soils and does not present particular insect or disease problems. However, in moist and poorly drained soils it can suffer from root rot, especially in winter. Botrytis and powdery mildew can also occur. Leave a gap in gardens when plants go dormant in summer.
This species is grown to produce thebaine, which is commercially converted into codeine and semisynthetic opiates including hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone. Papaver bracteatum does not contain morphine, codeine or other narcotic alkaloids in significant quantities. Oripavine has been reported in minimal traces but would not exert a relevant activity.
It can also be cultivated for ornamental purposes, preferably in small groups at the back of a mixed border or in a country garden.
It has also been used in the hybridization of new hybrid cultivars.
Propagation is by seed.

Customs and Traditions –
Papaver bracteatum is a species first described by N. Saharghi and Iraj Lalezari.
The plant contains the alkaloid thebaine, which is easily transformed into the anti-tussive drug codeine and, as mentioned, into semi-synthetic opiates including hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone.
In the United States, home cultivation of P. bracteatum was proposed by President Richard Nixon’s Office of Management and Budget in the early 1970s as an alternative to Turkish opium poppies, which the administration was attempting to phase out. This is because P. bracteatum does not contain morphine, which is converted into heroin, but is rich in thebaine for the legal production of codeine, which was in crisis at the time due to dwindling Turkish supplies.
Among other things, the growing abuse of opiates has made it necessary to obtain alternative sources to Papaver somniferum as a raw material for the pharmaceutical industry. A suitable source is that from Papaver bracteatum, which has been carefully studied for many years.

Method of Preparation –
Papaver bracteatum is a poppy which, especially in recent times, has found great interest due to the growing abuse of opiates. In fact, thebaine is extracted from this species, an alkaloid whose main producing countries are Australia followed by Spain and then France.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.
Photo source:
– https://observation.org/photos/21071450.jpg
– https://ehive.com/collections/4805/objects/350999/red-poppy-papaver-bracteatum

Attention: The pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; we therefore decline all responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.