opium poppy

noun

1. a Eurasian poppy, Papaver somniferum, having white, pink, red, or purple flowers, cultivated as the source of opium, for its oily seeds, and as an ornamental.

opium poppy

noun

1. a poppy, Papaver somniferum, of SW Asia, with greyish-green leaves and typically white or reddish flowers: widely cultivated as a source of opium

Word History and Origins

Origin of opium poppy¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

People discovered opium poppies in the Mediterranean, and cannabis and tea in Asia.

From Singularity Hub 

Unlike the opium poppy, coffee and tea plants do not press Pollan into service as a propagator.

From Washington Post

In the first, reprinted with added material from an article first published in 1997 in Harper’s Magazine, Pollan plants opium poppies in his garden so he can experiment with opium tea.

From Washington Post

As Afghanistan becomes more and more unstable, it has once again become a haven for opium poppy growers.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, to stop growing the opium poppy has meant in some cases a decrease of 75 per cent, in the profit and value of the land.

From Project Gutenberg

It is produced from the heads of the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum).

From Project Gutenberg

We noticed, moreover, that the abbey lands were bright with healthy-looking opium poppy-plants.

From Project Gutenberg

In eight months not even Sherlock Holmes could have found a live opium poppy on the face of the earth.

From Project Gutenberg

The opium poppy, also a spring crop, is cultivated to some extent in the lower part of the valley.

From Project Gutenberg