Hairy perennial herb to about 30 cm tall. Leaves mostly in basal rosettes, pinnately lobed, slightly waxy blue. Flowers 2-8 cm wide, sometimes double. Petals obovate, wavy, the two inner ones being the smallest, white with yellow throat, red or orange; winter to early spring. Capsule to 1.5 cm long, more or less club-shaped and rough-hairy. [p. croceum Ledeb.]
Arctic, North America
The various colour cultivars generally available under the name P. nudicaule as Iceland Poppies are probably the result of breeding and selection with P. nudicaule being only one hybrid parent; the wild species is probably rarely, if ever, seen in cultivation.
Various colour forms and seed mixes are available and generally grown as annuals. Examples of these can be found under the Cultivar tab.
Source: (1997). Papaveraceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
Papaver nudicaule 'Garden Gnome'
Compact, dwarf in the colours red, pink, yellow, orange and white. ['Gartenzwerg']
Dwarf habit, petals yellow.
Papaver nudicaule 'Wonderland'
A name used for a mix of colours including pink and cream; there are also dwarf forms available. Other cultivars listed include 'Sunglow' and 'Summer Promise'.
