Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Species information

Videos and images

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Threats

The intensification of agriculture that followed the Second World War had a serious impact on the poppy, and it was expelled from arable fields by the use of herbicides; becoming banished to field margins, hedgerows and neglected fields (4).

Conservation

Happily, the ability of poppy seeds to lie dormant for as long as 100 years allows the species to make a come-back to areas from which it has been suppressed by herbicides and fertilisers. This phenomenon has been seen widely following the introduction of 'set-aside' land (taking surplus land out of production). More recently, agri-environment schemes have encouraged farmers to revert to more traditional forms of farming, which also allows the poppy and other wild flowers to make a resurgence. Plantlife has included the common poppy in its Common Plant Survey. This survey aims to determine the status of 65 common plants in Britain, in order to understand how these species are faring in the countryside and to effectively monitor changes in their populations (6).