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TwentySevenNihilists t1_ixvcl3w wrote

Reply to comment by Eldachleich in Tasmanian flower farmer ‘shocked’ to learn she planted opium poppies by mistake by AsslessBaboon

I love seeing the occasional headline about "opium poppies" being found somewhere. They should read, "regular-ass poppies found growing somewhere; they all produce opium."

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OldRustBucket t1_ixvedxr wrote

There is a cultivar (Sujata) that produces no gum/latex at all. So not all poppies produce opium.

Out of the ones not gentetically engineered for more opium p. Somniferum, or the 'opium poppy' does produce the highest quantity. So it is understandable why they use the name I think; however, you are correct in that the majority of poppies can be used in the cultivation of opiates

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TwentySevenNihilists t1_ixvleoi wrote

I've wondered for a long time about the degree of difference between somniferum and the rest of the family. There must be significant differences in the dozens of chemicals that make up opium between species.

Also, there must be a few cultivars of a plant that's been farmed for thousands of years and had at least one war named after it. I'd love to know some of that agricultural history. How flexible is that phenotype?

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OldRustBucket t1_ixvz7u2 wrote

I mean I think the other types do have varying levels of the alkaloids from opium, but p. Somniferum has a vastly higher amount. Although I can't immediately find statistics for that.

If you want to know more about agricultural history Kew Gardens wrote an interesting piece.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by your last question, sorry.

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