About Papaver dubium L.
Papaver dubium is a variable annual plant that grows to approximately 60 cm tall. It typically flowers from late spring to mid-summer. Its flowers are large, measuring 30 to 70 mm across, and showy, with four petals that are a lighter shade of red than the petals of the similar species Papaver rhoeas. Most flowers of this species do not have a black spot at the base of the petals. The flower stem is usually covered in coarse hairs that lie closely pressed against the stem surface; this feature helps distinguish Papaver dubium from Papaver rhoeas, whose hairs typically stand out at right angles to the stem. Its seed capsules are hairless, elongated to more than twice as tall as they are wide, taper slightly at the tip, and usually have a stigma that is less wide than the capsule itself. When the plant's tissues are broken, it releases a white to yellowish latex. This species can form a long-lasting soil seed bank that will germinate when the soil is disturbed. A nearly black-flowering hybrid called Evelina was bred by crossing Papaver dubium with Papaver rhoeas in Italy in the late 1990s, but this hybrid does not appear to be available for commercial purchase.
