Papaver nudicaule, the Iceland poppy,[4] is a boreal flowering plant. Native to subpolar regions of Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia as well as temperate China[5] (but not in Iceland), Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials. They yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, 1 foot (30 cm) curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1–6 inches long. They were first described by botanists in 1759. The wild species blooms in white or yellow, and is hardy from USDA Zones 3a-10b.
Cultivars come in shades of yellow, orange, salmon, rose, pink, cream and white as well as bi-colored varieties. Seed strains include: 'Champagne Bubbles' (15-inch plants in orange, pink, scarlet, apricot, yellow, and creamy-white); 'Wonderland' (10-inch dwarf strain with flowers up to 4 inches wide); 'Flamenco' (pink shades, bordered white, 11⁄2 to 2 feet tall); 'Party Fun' (to 1 foot, said to bloom reliably the first year in autumn and the second spring); 'Illumination' and 'Meadow Pastels' (to 2 feet, perhaps the tallest strains); 'Matador' (scarlet flowers to 5 inches across on 16 inch plants); the perennial 'Victory Giants' with red petals and 'Oregon Rainbows', which has large selfed, bicolor, and picoteed[check spelling] flowers and is perhaps the best strain for the cool Pacific Northwest[7] (elsewhere this strain's buds frequently fail to open).
White is the dominant color, the others being recessive.
Cultivation
The plants prefer light, well-drained soil and full sun. The plants are not hardy in hot weather, perishing within a season in hot summer climates.
Iceland poppies, like all poppies, possess exceedingly minute seeds and long taproots that resent disturbance.[citation needed] In cool summer climates on well-drained soils, Iceland poppies can live 2–3 seasons, flowering from early spring to fall.[12]
Iceland poppies are amongst the best poppies for cutting, as they last for several days in the vase.[13]
Genetics
The genetics of the garden forms of P. nudicaule have been studied, particularly with respect to flower colour.[14] The white flower colour is dominant with respect to yellow. Other colours, such as buff and orange, are recessive.
^"AGM Plants - Ornamental"(PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 71. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
^Armitage, Allan M. (2001). Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-hardy Perennials. Portland, Or. [Great Britain]: Timber Press (OR). ISBN0-88192-505-5.
^Fabergé, A. C. (1942). "Genetics of the scapiflora section of Papaver: I. The garden iceland poppy". Journal of Genetics. 44 (2–3): 169–193. doi:10.1007/BF02982827. ISSN0022-1333.
^Kingsbury, J. M. (1964). Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA: Prentice-Hall Inc.
^Zhang, Y.; Pan, H.; Chen, S.; Meng, Y.; Kang, S. (1997). "[Minor alkaloids from the capsule of Papaver nudicaule L]". Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi = China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (in Chinese). 22 (9): 550–551, 576. ISSN1001-5302. PMID11038947.
^Philipov, S; Istatkova, R; Yadamsurenghiin, GO; Samdan, J; Dangaa, S (2007). "A new 8,14-dihydropromorphinane alkaloid from Papaver nudicaule L". Natural Product Research. 21 (9): 852–6. doi:10.1080/14786410701494777. PMID17763104. S2CID8609245.