Family - Papaveraceae

Stems - No info. yet.

Stem.

Leaves - No info. yet.

Inflorescence - No info. yet.

Flowers - No info. yet.

Atypical fruit.

Typical fruit.

Flowering - June - August.

Habitat - Rocky open ground, waste ground, roadsides, railroads.

Origin - Native to the West Indes and Central America. Possibly native in Florida.

Other info. - This species can be found in a handful of Missouri counties. The plant, although from a semi-tropical climate, is remarkably well adapted to colder and drier conditions. The family Papaveraceae is a famous family of plants because of the secondary compounds contained in its tissue. Papaver somniferum is the infamous Opium Poppy and most of the plants in the family contain at least one of a collection of toxic alkaloids. Argemone mexicana contains such alkaloids as sanguinarine, berberine, protopine, and others.

Photographs taken in Kissimmee, FL., 2-12-03, and in Winter Haven, FL., 12-23-03.