HYBRID PLUME-POPPY

Macleaya × kewensis

Poppy Family [Papaveraceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8cream
flower
flower8orange
petals
petalsZ2
type
typeZspiked
stem
stem8round
stem
stem8fluted
toxicity
toxicityZmedium
contact
contactZmedium
sex
sexZbisexual

15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hawfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The maximum height of Plume-poppy is said to be 2.5m. One of the specimens in the shadow far left exceeds the height of the 3-storey cottage, which leads your Author into thinking this might be the hybrid between the two Plume-poppies called Macleaya cordata (which has between 24 to 30 stamens in a bundle) and Macleya microcarpa (which has 8 to 15 stamens in a bundle). This specimen variously has 13, 19, 14 and 19 stamens, so not only does it grossly exceed 2.5m but it also has an intermediate number of stamens, hence your Authors suspicion that it probably is the hybrid between the two Macleayas. This is reinforced by the fact that Clice Staces' flower tome lists only Hybrid Plume-poppy, and not the other two which are the parents of the hybrid!


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
They flowers are on numerous alternate branches each side of the main, slightly zig-zagging, stem.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The flowers (which are bereft of any petals) are encased by 2 fawn-coloured sepals, which have fallen off a few flowers here revealing their numerous fawn-coloured stamens dangling downwards.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The un-opened flowers on their branched stalks. At the top the two encasing sepals have dropped off revealing the long, thin, fawn-coloured anthers on their long, thinner, snaking, white filaments and also revealing the small, pale-green oval ovary topped by a smaller white saddle-shaped stigma.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The long thin dangling fawn-coloured anthers on straggly white filaments. Plus two erect, oval, green ovaries.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The large leaves are deeply lobed; with the lobes themselves also being lobed.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The vein patterning of a leaf.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The tinyier veins create a random matrix. The large size of the leaves can be judged by the smaller leaves of Yellow Archangel beneath.


15th Aug 2011, a house, nr. Hayfield, Peak Dist. Photo: © RWD
The lower part of the stem. Your Author could not reach the higher parts!


The above photos are probably the hybrid between these two Plume-poppys:

  • Macleaya cordata which has between 24 to 30 stamens in each bunch
  • Macleaya microcarpa which has between 8 to 15 stamens in each bunch
because the specimen shown has between 13 to 19 stamens, ~intermediate between the above two ranges of numbers.

Like Poppies the (Macleaya genus is in the Papaveraceae family and are called Plume-poppies.

The leaves are either glabrous or sparsely hairy and a glaucous-white on the underside. The plant spreads easily by underground rhizhomes, as shown in the very first photo where numerous copies can be espied scattered around the garden.

The stems ooze out a toxic orange coloured latex if damaged.

It contains the toxic BenzylIsoQuinoline alkaloids such as Sanguinarine, Chelerythrine, Protopine and AlloCryptopine.


  Macleaya × kewensis  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Papaveraceae  

Distribution
 family8Poppy family8Papaveraceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Macleaya
Macleaya
(Plume-Poppies)

HYBRID PLUME-POPPY

Macleaya × kewensis

Poppy Family [Papaveraceae]