Its native range was east of the Mediterranean Sea, but has since been obscured and vastly expanded by introduction and cultivation from ancient times to the present day, being naturalized across much of Europe and Asia.

[6] Breadseed poppy is more accurate as a common name today because all varieties of P. somniferum produce edible seeds.

The plant is strongly glaucous, giving a greyish-green appearance, and the stem and leaves bear a sparse distribution of coarse hairs.

Subsequently, L-DOPA reacts with 4-HPAA and, through a series of reactions, forms (S) -norcoclaurine, which carries the benzylisoquinoline skeleton that gives its name to this pathway.

The conversion of (S) -norcoclaurin to (S) -reticuline is one of the key points, since from (S) -reticuline morphine can be formed through the morphinan route, noscapine through the path of the noscapina or berberina.

[11] The poppy genome contains 51,213 genes encoding proteins distributed 81.6% in 11 individual chromosomes and 18.4% remaining in unplaced scaffolds.

The genes are possibly grouped as follows:[11] Papaver somniferum was formally described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in his seminal publication Species Plantarum in 1753 on page 508.

The native range of opium poppy is probably the Eastern Mediterranean, but extensive cultivation and introduction of the species throughout Europe since ancient times have obscured its origin.

It has escaped from cultivation, or has been introduced and become naturalized extensively in all regions of the British Isles, particularly in the south and east[16] and in almost all other countries of the world with suitable, temperate climates.

[17] P. somniferum is susceptible to several fungal, insect and virus infections including seed borne diseases such as downy mildew and root rot.

[18] The fungal pathogen Peronospora arborescens, the causal agent of downy mildew, occurs preferentially during wet and humid conditions.

[22] The leaf under-surface is covered with a downy mildew coating containing conidiospores that spread the infection further leading to plant damage and death.

[23] Another downy mildew species, Peronospora somniferi, produces systemic infections leading to stunting and deformation of poppy plants.

[19] Flea beetles perforate the leaves of young plants and aphids suck on the sap of the flower buds.

Insect larvae hatch and burrow into the soil to complete their life cycle on the poppy roots as adults.

[29] Sowing time (autumn or spring), preceding crop and soil texture are important variables influencing the weed species composition.

[35] This behaviour led to a stagnation of the poppy seed market value between 2008 and 2009 as a consequence of high stock levels, bad weather and poor quality.

[36] The world leading importer of poppy seed is India (16 000 tonnes), followed by Russia, Poland and Germany.

[38] Australia (Tasmania), Turkey and India are the major producers of poppy for medicinal purposes and poppy-based drugs, such as morphine or codeine.

Addictive Substances Act, poppies growing in fields larger than 100 square metres (120 sq yd) is obliged for reporting to the local Custom Office.

It is also prohibited to grow varieties with more than 0.8% of morphine in dry matter of their capsules, excluding research and experimental purposes (§24/1b/ of the act).

Evidence of the early domestication of opium poppy has been discovered through small botanical remains found in regions of the Mediterranean and west of the Rhine River, predating circa 5000 BC.

[60] These samples found in various Neolithic sites show the incredibly early cultivation and natural spread of the plant throughout western Europe.

[62][63] East India Company merchants balanced an economic deficit from the importation of Chinese tea by selling Indian opium which was smuggled into China in defiance of Qing government bans.

The French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz used opium for inspiration, subsequently producing his Symphonie Fantastique.

Employees of the foundation also destroyed gift shop items like shirts depicting the poppy and packets of the heirloom seed.

They have a creamy and nut-like flavor, and when used with ground coconut, the seeds provide a unique and flavour-rich curry base.

[68] When the European Union attempted to ban the cultivation of Papaver somniferum by private individuals on a small scale (such as personal gardens), citizens in EU countries where poppy seed is eaten heavily, such as countries in the Central-Eastern region, strongly resisted the plan, causing the EU to change course.

Opium contains a class of naturally occurring alkaloids known as opiates, that include morphine, codeine, thebaine, oripavine, papaverine and noscapine.

[74] Tincture of opium B.P., containing 1% w/v of anhydrous morphine, also remains in the British Pharmacopoeia,[75] listed as a Class A substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.