Delicate blossoms of poppies have enchanted for generations. Oriental poppies are among the most flamboyant of the early summer flowers, with enormous, often frilly double flowers around 15 cm across in loud colours many are vermilion red, and most have black bases to the petals. Sunlight makes the translucent petals positively glow with color. Even though the narcotic content is minimal to absent in the red Oriental Poppy or the annual Common Poppy (P. rhoeas), the odor of the vibrant new flowers will nevertheless give you some sense of the odor of Opium Poppies. The Oriental Poppy generally has single flowers with black center, they come in early summer. Large, silky flowers feature black blotches at the base of each petal. Plants bloom profusely in May and June, the year after the seed is sown. This photograph was taken on 24th January, 2012 at Lal Bagh, Bangalore.
