opium poppy

American  

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 British  

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

---

Etymology

Origin of opium poppy

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The total area under opium poppy cultivation this year was estimated at 10,200 hectares, mostly in the north-east of the country, with Badakhshan province accounting for the largest share.

From BBC

Opioids include drugs such as heroin that come from the opium poppy plant, as well as synthetically-made substances like fentanyl.

From BBC

Unlike synthetic opioids produced using chemicals in a lab, heroin and morphine are refined from the gum extracted from Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy.

From Salon

He said their introduction into the UK market appears to have followed a steep reduction in the production of heroin, after the government in Afghanistan cracked down on the production of opium poppies.

From BBC

Its mission: destroy opium poppies used to make heroin.

From New York Times